Decision details

Moved by Councillor Forster, seconded by Councillor Chung -

It is resolved that Council:

(A)        note:

(i)          after conducting a study of Central Sydney laneways between July 1992 and March 1993, Council, in October 1993, adopted the City of Sydney Policy for the Management of Laneways in Central Sydney;

(ii)         the objectives of the study included the identification of the urban design opportunities inherent in Sydney’s lanes as well as the preparation of the aforementioned policy and recommendations for the management of these lanes;

(iii)        the policy document outlines recommendations for the management of 107 individual lanes and identifies things such as heritage issues, pedestrian and vehicular access and interactions, and the potential for the enhancement of pedestrian amenity, as well as recommendations for the disposal of certain laneways;

(iv)       on 10 March 2008, Council endorsed the Live Laneways – Laneway Revitalisation Strategy, part of which included the development of concept plans for up to four laneways for approval by Council prior to calling tenders for construction in the 2008/09 financial year;

(v)         following this endorsement, in June 2009, Council selected eight CBD laneways for public domain improvements, subsequently adding a ninth laneway. The nine lanes prioritised for capital works improvement listed by precinct were:

(a)        Northern CBD - Bulletin Place;

(b)        Central CBD - Angel Place, Hosking and Penfold Place, Lees Court, Ash Street;

(c)         Western CBD - York Lane; and

(d)        Southern CBD - Albion Place, Central Street, Wilmot Street;

(vi)       between 2010 and 2016, improvement works were completed in Ash Street, Angel Place, Albion Place, Bulletin Place, Wilmot Street, Central Street, Hosking Place and Penfold Place with most of these precincts attracting new businesses and enjoying enhanced economic vibrancy;  

(vii)      improvements to Lees Court were put on hold as a result of the lodgement of a development application for upgrade works to the adjacent MLC building and it was agreed that the laneway would be upgraded by the developer as part of their public domain contribution;

(viii)     a concept design was completed for York Lane but construction works were put on hold due to adjacent work associated with the construction of Wynyard Walk. These works have now been completed and recent discussions with Transport for New South Wales indicate support for the conversion of York Lane to a shared zone and associated public domain improvements; and

(ix)       since the announcement of the Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail project some other laneway upgrades have been put on hold, however, part of the financial contribution by the City towards the light rail project has been earmarked for the improvement of surrounding laneways; and

(B)        request the Chief Executive Officer to:

(i)          initiate a review of the City of Sydney Policy for the Management of Laneways in Central Sydney, first introduced in 1993, with the aim of identifying additional laneways suitable for upgrades both during and following completion of the construction of the Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail; and

(ii)         update Councillors via CEO Update on the City’s Live Laneways – Laneway Revitalisation Strategy, including an update on the status of any works scheduled for York Lane.

Variation. At the request of Councillor Scully, and by consent, the motion was varied, such that it read as follows –

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          after conducting a study of Central Sydney laneways between July 1992 and March 1993, Council, in October 1993, adopted The City of Sydney Policy for the Management of Laneways in Central Sydney;

(ii)         the Policy for the Management of Laneways in Central Sydney was incorporated into the Sydney Development Control Plan 2012 and policies relating to heritage listing, buildings adjacent to laneways, the retention and the activation of laneways were incorporated, where relevant, into the City’s planning controls;

(iii)        on 10 March 2008, Council endorsed the Live Laneways – Laneway Revitalisation Strategy, part of which included the development of concept plans for up to four laneways for approval by Council prior to calling for tenders for construction in the 2008/09 financial year;

(iv)       following this endorsement, in June 2009, Council selected eight CBD laneways for public domain improvements, subsequently adding a ninth laneway. The nine lanes prioritised for capital works improvement listed by precinct were:

(a)   Northern CBD - Bulletin Place;

(b)   Central CBD - Angel Place, Hosking and Penfold Place, Lees Court, Ash Street;

(c)   Western CBD - York Lane; and

(d)   Southern CBD - Albion Place, Central Street, Wilmot Street;

(v)         between 2010 and 2017, improvement works were completed in Ash Street, Angel Place, Albion Place, Market Row, Bulletin Place, Wilmot Street, Central Street, Reiby Place, Hosking Place and Penfold Place, Tank Stream Way, Abercrombie Lane and Bridge Lane, with most of these precincts attracting new businesses and enjoying enhanced economic vibrancy;

(vi)       improvements to Lees Court were put on hold as a result of the lodgement of a development application for upgrade works to the adjacent MLC building and it was agreed that the laneway would be upgraded by the developer as part of their public domain contribution;

(vii)      a concept design was completed for York Lane but construction works were put on hold due to adjacent work associated with the construction of Wynyard Walk. These works have now been completed and recent discussions with Transport for New South Wales indicate support for the conversion of York Lane to a shared zone and associated public domain improvements; and

(viii)     City staff are progressing laneway improvements to be delivered by third party developer public domain contributions, including Dalley Street, Underwood Street, Customs House Lane and Loftus Lane; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to update Councillors via CEO Update on the progress of the implementation of the City’s Live Laneways – Laneway Revitalisation Strategy and on the current laneway improvements being progressed.

Carried unanimously.

Time Extension

During discussion on this matter, pursuant to the provisions of Clause 250(3) of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005, it was –

Moved by the Chair (the Lord Mayor), seconded by Councillor Thalis –

That Councillor Scully be granted an extension of time to speak on this matter.

Carried unanimously.

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