The first stage of the Hume St Park expansion project is now complete, adding more than 1200 square metres of new open space in Crows Nest.
The $20 million project includes a new pedestrian link from Willoughby Road and a spacious green park with landscaped gardens, state of the art lighting and well placed seating for residents and workers to enjoy lunch or coffee.
When the new Metro opens in 2024, thousands of people are expected to use the new pedestrian link during peak hour to walk between the station and the village.
Council purchased properties at 43-49 Hume St and 90-92 Willoughby Road for approximately $15 million to create the new open space. The State Government provided a $3.5 million grant towards the construction costs for our plans.
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said this project is spearheading the revitalisation of the Crows Nest village and supporting the many local businesses on Willoughby Road.
“I am especially proud of this project, for it represents many of the values that prompted me to stand for local government. It contributes to a more sustainable and greener future, it invests in the health and wellbeing of the community, and it has been delivered in consultation with our community in a well-planned and transparent way.”
Mayor Baker said she looked forward to exploring the next stage of the project which will connect this new space with the existing Hume St Park, and make it into one big open plan.
“This project will set the tone for future developments in the area and inspire the incorporation of open space in new designs. This is so important right now as we address the new population growth targets for Crows Nest and St Leonards and look for ways to balance the density proposed in the State Government’s 2036 Plan.”
In 2009, Council conducted a comprehensive review of open space within our local government area. Crows Nest was identified as one of the priority areas where we needed to create more open space. In 2012, Council completed a St Leonards/Crows Nest Planning Study which found that the expansion of the Hume St Park would be an effective way to create more open space in Crows Nest.
“To explain it simply, our plan is to ensure that the urbanisation of the Crows Nest/St Leonards area does not overrun our natural environment, and if we have to find ways to reverse what has been overbuilt, then we will, as we have done here at Hume St today,” Mayor Baker said.
This news article was printed in the November 2022 edition of North Sydney News.