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Thursday May 21, 2026 
8 December 2023
By Hannah Wilcox and Grahame Lynch
North Sydney Council staff have come up with an each-way solution to the intractable problem of whether Young St plaza at Neutral Bay should remain closed to traffic or re-opened: they have proposed one lane of traffic be opened and the remaining lane converted into a small park.
Young Street was closed off and transformed into a temporary trial plaza in 2020 following the introduction of the B-Line bus route, with the promise of a $2 million contribution from state government to build a permanent plaza.
Councillors narrowly voted to reopen the street last year after much controversy, but nothing has happened in the interim until now.
Next Monday, a proposal by North Sydney Council open spaces director Gary Parsons will come up for consideration by the ten elected councillors.
His proposed solution includes a partial reopening of the lane, leaving one side of the pre-existing two lane road operating as a plaza, with a seating area and deck, potential play area as well as an informal seating and lounging area.
Coming off Grosvenor Lane, the other half of Young Street would be a two way lane up until a driveaway that sits between Vive Active and Leffler Simes Architects, where it turns into a one way – filtering traffic onto Military Road.
A traffic survey conducted by Stantec in 2022 found: “the overall, the impacts of the reopening are considered to be minor, and no mitigation measures are necessary to address any future operating concerns. As such, the reopening of Young Street can be supported from a traffic and transport perspective.”
The council report said Transport for NSW had been consulted and advised that the “proposal is in alignment with the objectives of the funding, which was to support public domain improvement projects in Neutral Bay and Cremorne Villages; and that TfNSW would not seek reimbursement” of the funds it provided.
“It is noted however that the partial reopening of Young Street would be subject to a formal s116 application under the NSW Roads Act (1993).”
The redesign of Young Street will undergo community consultation if the motion is successful.