Decision details

Moved by Councillor Forster, seconded by Councillor Chung –

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          on 21 November 2018, it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that the City of Sydney would seek a team of consultants, including two artists and an architect to work on terror defences for the pedestrian zones of the CBD and South East Light Rail project;

(ii)         it was also reported that plans to protect the new pedestrian zones against potential terrorist attacks would not be fully implemented until mid-2021, well after the Light Rail begins operations in 2020;

(iii)        in December last year, Transport for NSW worked closely with NSW Police and the City of Sydney and delivered temporary measures to protect crowded places on George Street between Park Street and King Street; and

(iv)       this year, Transport for NSW Coordinator, General Marg Prendergast, said that as barriers are reduced in other areas along the light rail alignment, further temporary treatments are being installed by Transport for NSW, along George Street and in Circular Quay, and that these temporary vehicle barriers will remain in place until the City of Sydney installs permanent vehicle barriers; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to fast track the establishment of the design consultancy team with the aim of having heritage-appropriate permanent vehicle barriers installed by the time the Light Rail is scheduled to be open in 2020.

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

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          on 20 November 2018 the City published a tender seeking a team of consultants to design site specific protection measures for the George Street and Alfred Street pedestrianised zones that meet the objectives of the Commonwealth Government’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism;

(ii)         the light rail site is under the control of Transport for NSW until construction is complete and the land is handed back to the City of Sydney;

(iii)        in December 2017, Transport for NSW delivered temporary measures to protect crowded places on George Street between Park Street and King Street;

(iv)       in 2018, Transport for NSW Coordinator, General Marg Prendergast, said that as barriers are reduced in other areas along the light rail alignment, further temporary treatments are being installed by Transport for NSW, along George Street and in Circular Quay, and that these temporary vehicle barriers will remain in place until the City of Sydney installs permanent vehicle barriers;

(v)         The temporary barriers will remain in place and be reviewed and upgraded when the City’s long-term security measures are installed.

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to ensure that the installation of long term security measures remains a high priority.

Carried unanimously.

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