23 March 2026
North Sydney mayor Zoë Baker used a lengthy intervention in a council meeting on March 23rd to rule out extending the lease of a loved Crows Nest childcare centre, arguing it would be “reckless and irresponsible” to delay delivery of new open space in Crows Nest despite sustained calls from the community to prioritise relocation.
Kelly’s Place Childcare Centre had sought an extension of its lease to December 2027 and support for a long-term relocation, after being told in February it must vacate its council-owned Hume Street site by the end of this year to enable Stage 2 of the Hume Street Park expansion.
Baker told councillors the existing November resolution — to extend the lease to December 2026, establish a relocation working group and seek state support — remained in place and did not require amendment.
“The fact is that resolution remains in place and council remains committed to working with Kelly’s Place on the relocation,” she said.
But she made clear council would not shift the timetable tied to the state-funded park expansion, arguing the project addressed a long-standing and worsening deficit in open space.
“There is too little open space for the existing population, let alone the planned massive increases in population density,” she said, noting Crows Nest was projected to have just 2.85 square metres of open space per person by 2036.
Baker said Stage 2 of Hume Street Park would deliver a further 2,000 square metres of open space and described the project as the most significant addition to public open space in the local government area in decades.
“We now have a unique opportunity with the state government to secure both funding and project management to finally finish the park,” she said.
“The time has come… It would be reckless and irresponsible if council were to miss the opportunity to deliver this new open space.”
The mayor also emphasised that the timelines were driven by the state government funding arrangement.
“The timeframes the state government have set… are the timeframes that we are dealing with,” she said.
Her remarks came after a heavily attended public forum in which parents, former attendees and community representatives warned councillors that proceeding under the current timetable would force closure of the not-for-profit centre.
“If you only commit to exploring options without a realistic timeframe, you are really committing to closing the centre this year,” one parent told the meeting.
Speakers stressed they were not opposing the park itself, but the sequencing of delivery, arguing council could still deliver both outcomes if relocation was guaranteed first.
Kelly’s Place committee president Richard Boyle challenged council reporting, saying claims the centre had rejected viable options were inaccurate and had been incorporated into reports and minutes.
Supporters pointed to a site at 96 Bank St, North Sydney as the most viable relocation option and questioned whether council had properly sought state government funding for relocation.
Councillors Jessica Keen and Efi Carr moved a motion to reset the process, requiring council to revisit the timeline, ensure relocation before demolition and provide assistance including peppercorn rent.
Keen added a clause directing council to investigate the Bank Street site as a relocation option.
Carr said closure would be “not an appropriate action”, while councillor James Spenceley urged colleagues to “go back to the drawing board” and push for alternative solutions, including greater engagement with the state government. The movers of the motion took on suggestions from Spenceley to add financing options including asset sales and debt to help pay for a new venue.
Greens councillor Angus Hoy warned of the growing dominance of for-profit childcare providers and said the prospect of closure “weighs extremely heavily on me”, initially indicating support for relocation prior to demolition.
Baker, however, rejected suggestions council had not explored alternatives, saying multiple sites had been considered over several years and that a relocation working group continued to meet.
“Council officers have continued to meet with Kelly’s Place… and will continue to meet,” she said, adding that council would keep advocating to the state government for relocation support.
But she warned council’s financial position limited its ability to fund relocation or upgrades.
“The council does not have the level of funds available to provide the upgrades that we would like to provide,” she said, describing the situation as a “dreadful legacy” of past decisions.
Her aligned councillors echoed those constraints.
Councillor Chris Holding said he could not support a motion without identified funding or supporting documentation, while councillor MaryAnn Beregi said relocation costs could exceed $2m and warned there was “no money” available.
Despite Hoy’s earlier indication of support, he ultimately voted against the motion, which was defeated 7–3.
The result leaves the current timeline intact, but the scale of the turnout indicates Kelly’s Place supporters are likely to continue pressing council to revisit the sequencing of the project and secure a relocation pathway before any closure.
What makes the impasse most interesting is that the Kelly’s Place building has an open space and grassed roof. Technically, much of its footprint is already accessible as open space.