NSW Government Takes Approval of Sydney's New Public Square Away From City Council
New South Wales planning minister Paul Scully has declared Sydney's proposed town hall square a state significant development, removing the approval decision from the City of Sydney. Lord Mayor Clover Moore has welcomed the move.
The planning minister of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Paul Scully, announced on Friday, 9 October, that a proposed new public square in central Sydney has been declared a "state significant development". The decision removes the approval process from the City of Sydney council and leaves the future of the project in doubt.
Sydney's lord mayor, Clover Moore, released renders in August for the plaza opposite the city's town hall. The design features a semi-circular clearing extending east towards Hyde Park, with a fountain and a grove of native trees. The council had expected the square to be finished by 2031, with demolition and construction costed at $150m.
A political dispute
The project has been a source of conflict between Moore and NSW premier Chris Minns, who has said he does not support it. He described it as too expensive and majorly disruptive for Sydney, and said it would close down businesses in the area. It also became a culture-war flashpoint: the Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph ridiculed it and published AI-generated images of the square packed with protesters. Supermarket chain Woolworths also opposes the plan, as its town hall store sits in one of the buildings that would be demolished.
In recent months the council had been finalising talks with the owners of the last of the seven buildings that would need to be acquired and demolished.
What changes
Scully said the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) would decide on any proposal submitted by the City of Sydney. Under the state significant development pathway, the planning minister is the consent authority unless the IPC is delegated that role. He said the process would allow a whole-of-government assessment and give individuals, the community and other stakeholders a chance to comment.
Moore surprisingly welcomed the declaration, saying "I could not agree more" and that the council remained confident in the proposal's merits. She said the City owns the buildings and saved money over 40 years to deliver the project debt-free. She called the intervention unusual, noting that governments generally take planning decisions from councils to speed up development, and that here the state stepped in before a development application even existed.
