The soul of Sydney is not for demolition. The Town Hall Square project will wipe out iconic architecture and dozens of local businesses to create a giant, expensive slab of pavement.
The City of Sydney expects us to go quietly. They expect us to accept the destruction of our shops and our heritage as "inevitable." They are wrong.
Council owns the bricks. They don't own the three generations of sweat that built them.
"80 years ago, my grandfather didn't start his jewellery business with a silver spoon; he started it with a workbench and a belief that hard work meant something. My family helped young couples, back from the front lines and re-united after war, find the precious stones that would start their family histories. We didn't just sell jewellery; we helped build the foundations of Sydney's families."
— Jason Blaiklock, local business owner
A $200M+ Wrecking Ball Through the CBD
The Town Hall Square project is the City's latest obsession — a plan to tear down a thriving CBD block to satisfy a "legacy" itch. Park House and the Woolworths building will be demolished, wiping out iconic architecture and dozens of local businesses.
Official Price Tag
$200+ million floated by Council
True Cost
Could approach $1 billion when lost rental income, demolition losses, air space value, and foregone redevelopment are included
The Result
A giant, expensive slab of pavement replacing functional heritage buildings and active shopfronts
The Mayor Calls It a "Grand Gateway." The Reality Is Different.
What They Promise
A world-class plaza — a grand gateway to Sydney's Town Hall precinct.
What We'll Get
Look at the sunken concrete pit next to the Town Hall steps today — a drafty, depressing void where the only vibrant community is a flock of pigeons. If the Mayor gets her way, we'll get a wasteland: lost businesses, lost services, lost employment.
The Lord Mayor has also suggested this is about creating space for protestors — but why should ratepayers bankroll the demolition of functioning shops to create yet another protest space in the CBD?
The Mayor Is Ignoring Council's Own Stop Sign
Council's own property specialists delivered a clear warning:
"The construction of a future Town Hall Square will require a large financial commitment of well over $200 million… The capital costs would be greater than any recent undertaking of the City… For these reasons it is recommended that construction of the future Town Hall Square not commence any earlier than 2035."
This is a story of experts being ignored, financial warnings being silenced, and a sudden, desperate rush to build a mayoral "legacy" at any cost.
It's Not Just One Shop. It's Our Neighbourhood.
The City of Sydney Council wants you to think this is a simple, sensible project in the public interest. This is the calculated destruction of a well-established community of businesses, shoppers, and employees. When you destroy a block, you don't just lose a building — you lose a network of families, expertise, and decades of trust.
The Lord Mayor claims this square is a gift to the citizens of Sydney. But the people who actually live, work, and pay rates here have responded with a thunderous 'NO!' No-one we speak to can say they were properly consulted.
Sydney Needs to Be a Liveable Place
Sydney needs to be a liveable place where residents still matter and locals have easy access to their daily needs. The Lord Mayor's office claims the proposed square is for "the people." But when locals talk to the people who live, work, and pay rates here, the message is unanimous:
They want shops, services and jobs
Not an over-priced, unjustified public space with years of maintenance to follow.
They want their voices heard
The people who live, work and shop here have spoken. Is anyone at Town Hall listening?
Save Our City Shops Digital Brochure