State government seizes control of City of Sydney’s Town Hall square plan

The Minns government has wrested control of the City of Sydney’s decades-long plan to knock down seven inner-city buildings for a public square, after an independent panel advised the project was of state significance.

Citing the cost and prominent location of the long-vaunted Town Hall square , Planning Minister Paul Scully in September intervened by referring the $150 million council project to the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) for advice on whether it should instead be assessed as state-significant development.

On Friday, Scully said he would use his powers under the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act to declare the project state-significant, bypassing council approval processes. He said the commission had advised the proposal warranted state-level assessment after considering information provided by the City of Sydney and the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.

However, he said the fate of the project would ultimately be decided by the commission: “The proposal will be delegated to the Independent Planning Commission for determination, should the City of Sydney submit a state-significant development application.

“This process will allow for a rigorous whole-of-government assessment by the department and provide an opportunity for individuals, the community and other stakeholders to have their say on any development application before its determination by the Independent Planning Commission.”

The City of Sydney has been gradually acquiring a parcel of properties between George and Pitt streets opposite Town Hall, hoping to create a rare public domain in the centre of the city, since the 1980s.

In February, councillors voted to accelerate demolition of the buildings, including a Woolworths supermarket, stating its ambition to complete demolition and construction within about six years.