Sydney’s Macquarie Street is set for a shake-up following recommendations that the street be transformed into a dynamic cultural hub which recognises and celebrates the precinct’s significance to the State.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the Macquarie Street East (MSE) Precinct Review offered fresh ideas for reviving the often-overlooked location, which has been considered the civic spine of Sydney.
“Macquarie Street is home to many heritage buildings and historical spaces that should be appreciated and shared with as many people as possible but right now barely anyone visits outside business hours,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This is an opportunity to be innovative and rethink how these spaces could showcase our city’s cultural and social history and attract visitors by day and by night,” he said.
“As a global city we need to have a culturally diverse night-time economy and Macquarie Street East has the potential to become a vibrant destination.”
Mr Perrottet said the Review found that the precinct lacked public recognition of its historical significance, both before and after 1788, and provided only limited public use of spaces and buildings.
“It recommends improving accessibility and linkages to the rest of the CBD, and adopting a unified vision,” the Minister said.
He said the State commissioned the Review in 2018, which was led by former Prime Minister Paul Keating and former Chief Commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission and Lord Mayor of Sydney, Lucy Turnbull.
“The report provides a blueprint for the true consolidation of the historic triangle between the Art Gallery of NSW, the former Registrar General’s building and the State Library along the axis of Macquarie Street,” Mr Keating said.
Mrs Turnbull said the tourism potential of the precinct was “just waiting to be realised”.
The 37-page report Macquarie Street East (MSE) Precinct Review can be accessed at this PS News link.
