Decision details

Moved by Councillor Forster, seconded by Councillor Vithoulkas -

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          Martin Place is one of Sydney’s premier civic open spaces, and is usually a gathering place for thousands of the City’s nearly 1.1 million residents, workers and visitors each day;

(ii)         on 2 October 2020, and in conjunction with the State Government, the City of Sydney announced a $20 million funding injection to bring workers and visitors back to the CBD;

(iii)        this announcement is among a cache of projects designed to bring the city out of its Covid-19 slump, including an al fresco taskforce to review outdoor drinking and dining regulations, as well as the NSW Government encouraging its own workers to return to their offices;

(iv)       the NSW Government is also amending liquor regulations to allow hospitality venues to expand their licence boundaries in just three days, in a change to the approvals process that usually takes up to 51 days, from 16 October 2020;

(v)         there are 16 hospitality businesses in The Rocks whose participation will aim to transform the streetscape of the ailing tourist hub into an area filled with outdoor drinking and dining options as part of a 12-month trial, with the rest of the CBD to be included on 1 November 2020; and

(vi)       in order to meet the standard that returning workers and visitors will expect in a CBD which is striving to attract them back, Martin Place needs extensive cleaning and maintenance, including of the paving, the two entrances to Martin Place train station, the fountain at Pitt Street and the steps and amphitheatre; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)          review the current cleansing schedule for Martin Place and adjust it accordingly to restore the area to an appropriate level of cleanliness and repair; and

(ii)         liaise with Sydney Trains to ensure that any of their land located in and around Martin Place is appropriately cleaned and maintained.

Carried unanimously.

S129260