Sydney unveils design for 4,500 sq metre CBD plaza after 40 years of planning

Sydney's central business district is set to gain a significant new public space, with the City of Sydney releasing designs for a 4,500 square meter plaza. This project, first envisioned over 40 years ago, aims to "unify" the CBD and create a central gathering point for residents and visitors.

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I’ve sat in squares in Vienna and Rome and Greece and Spain – it’s where people gather, it’s the centre of city life and it’s quite fantastic. This isn’t going to be like that – it’s going to be just as grand as one of those squares, but it’s going to be very Sydney and it’s going to be very Australian.

The council has been acquiring land for the plaza since 1982 and is now finalizing discussions for the last of seven buildings that require demolition. The estimated cost for design, demolition, and construction is $150 million. Lord Mayor Clover Moore described the plaza as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity," drawing parallels to historic squares in European cities but emphasizing a distinctly Sydney and Australian character.

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It will draw together the disjointed public places around here and gather our wonderful Victorian sandstone buildings together into a unified place. It will be comfortable for two friends gathering to share lunch, or for thousands coming together for a civic celebration.

Designed by JPW and Aspect Studios, the plaza will feature a semi-circular layout with a water feature, movable seating, and native trees providing shade. The water feature will offer a misting effect for cooling during summer. JPW director Matthew Morel stated the space will "draw together the disjointed public places" and enhance the surrounding Victorian sandstone buildings.

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The area involved needs to remain a commercial hub for our city when the CBD is still recovering post-Covid.

However, the project faces some opposition. Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou expressed concern about the "unwanted disruption" from demolishing buildings, particularly as the CBD recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Moore acknowledged these consequences but stressed the necessity of such large-scale urban projects for the city and its people, noting that businesses will be assisted in finding alternative locations.

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These are the consequences of doing these big city projects – which the city needs, the people need – but also other people have to accommodate themselves to changed circumstances.