28 June 2026
North Sydney councillors will tomorrow consider a renewed push to install permanent public tables and chairs at Hayes Street Wharf, months after the removal of informal seating from the Neutral Bay foreshore sparked strong community backlash.
A notice of motion lodged by councillors Jessica Keen and Efi Carr calls for the project to be included in Council’s 2026/27 Capital Works Program, either through an increased budget or by reallocating existing capital expenditure.
The motion also asks Council officers to prepare a concept design, cost estimate and implementation timetable for the installation of permanent tables and chairs in the reserve adjoining the wharf, with a report to come back to Council within three months.
The proposed design would be required to maximise accessibility, community use, visual amenity and enjoyment of the foreshore reserve.
The motion follows Council’s March decision to proceed with removing informal tables and chairs that had been placed around the foreshore plaza near Thelma & Louise café.
At the time, Council rangers attached notices to the furniture saying it would be removed. The move triggered criticism from residents and local café operator Marilyn Nohra, who said the seating had helped create a community gathering place used by locals, ferry passengers and café customers.
Some of the furniture had been provided by the café, while other chairs and tables had been brought down by residents.
Nohra told the North Sydney Sun in March that only about 40 percent of the furniture was hers, with the remainder brought by locals.
“We just put them to the side. But what happens is the locals see us and then they just put it out,” she said at the time.
“And some of the locals bring some of their chairs. Because the problem is we’re in an older area with an ageing population and they want back support.”
The March debate exposed a split on Council. Carr argued then that the enforcement action was disproportionate, given the seating had been in place for several years and had supported community use of the waterfront.
Others supported removal, citing concerns about accessibility, hygiene, the condition of some furniture and waste left overnight.
Cammeraygal ward councillor MaryAnn Beregi said at the time she had received complaints that some furniture was rusty, old and dangerous, and impeded access for people with mobility issues. Councillor Shannon Welch also raised concerns about dirty cups and plates left overnight, overflowing bins, food waste and vermin. Council justified their removal by recourse to a state law although this was not cited in the council debate at the time.
Council voted 7–3 to proceed with the removal order, while indicating that new public seating could be considered if its special rate variation was approved.
The new motion seeks to turn that possibility into a funded project.
In March, Council resolved that, should it be successful in its special rate variation application, it would consider the installation of tables and chairs near Hayes Street Wharf in the 2026/27 open space budget.
Council officers later advised that the project could be considered under the 2026/27 Capital Works Program, subject to the outcome of the IPART application. However, the project was not prioritised in the draft Delivery Program 2025–2029 and Operational Plan 2026/27, meaning it would require either additional funding or reprioritisation.
Since then, IPART has approved North Sydney Council’s special rate variation application in full, providing Council with additional revenue for infrastructure renewal and community improvements.
Keen and Carr’s motion says the reserve adjoining Hayes Street Wharf is one of Neutral Bay’s most valued community spaces and is used by residents to meet friends and neighbours, enjoy coffee from the local café, relax by the harbour and spend time outdoors.
It says the informal tables and chairs previously located at the site demonstrated strong demand for public seating in the area.
“Whether provided by the local business or brought by residents, the furniture created a popular and well-used gathering space that encouraged people to stay, connect, and enjoy the foreshore,” the motion says.
“The removal of the furniture generated significant community concern because it resulted in the loss of a much-loved local meeting place, without a permanent alternative being provided.”
The motion also notes that the Hayes/Kurraba Precinct Committee has previously written to Council requesting permanent tables and chairs at the wharf.
That request, according to the motion, reflects a widely held community view that the area should be enhanced as a place for residents to gather and connect.
The issue has become a symbolic test of how Council uses the additional revenue from the special rate variation, particularly in neighbourhoods where residents have argued that relatively small public space improvements can have an outsized effect on local amenity.
If adopted, the motion would not immediately install the furniture, but would require Council officers to return with a design, cost estimate and timetable within three months.