SYDNEY'S BIG SCHEME

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 14, 17 July 1923, Page 3

SYDNEY'S BIG SCHEME

EXTENDING MARTIN PLACE

ELEVENTH-HOUR ''DECISIONi

(FROM ODK OWN CORRESPOMDBNT.)

SYDNEY, sth July. By a strange, turn, in the wheel of fortune Sydney's great city improvement scheme,,involving the extension of Martin place through Castlerea'gh street. Elizabeth street, and Phillip street to the broad and,beautiful thoroughfare of Macquarie street, near to where Parliament House stands, has been adopted by the City. Council at. the eleventh hour. The scheme (as stated by the, correspondent of this journal at the time) was definitely turned down, after protracted consideration, by the City Council about two months ago, and it was generally believed that this decision sounded the death-knell of the project,' as the Commissioners of the Stat» Savings Bank at once gave instructions for the work of laying, the foundations , of the immense building in Elizabeth street, which would face and block Mar-, tin place, to be proceeded with, the buildings formerly occupying the site having been demolished. In the nick of time came the State Conference of the Labour Party, and the election of new executive. The old executive had issued instructions to the Labour members.of the City Council to oppose the scheme, and ' (although' several were known to be personally in favour of it) their votes, combined with those of three aldermen who were- hostile to the Lord Mayor, had defeated the scheme. Its supporters tv*' their opportunity with the change of the Labour Executive, and were not long in seeking its opinion on the Martin place question. The executive announced that on matters of this kind the Labour members of the council would be at liberty to use their own judgment. ' The resourceful Lord Mayor got the foundations again delayed, rushed motions before a special meeting of the council, with the result that after a short and vigorous campaign, in which the Press, with one minor exception, gave their support, the project was carried by 16 votes to three. ;Thus at last .the council ■ became committed to a city improvement.which has agitated successive 'councils and governments for many years, and which, undoubtedly would have continued to agitate them for many more years to come but for the imminent erection, of a'building' of such a costly nature that resumption would have - been out of . the ■ question. Martin place, as all who know Sydney are aware, is the very'". heart of. the city, adorned over a large section by the beautiful facade of the General Post Office. The extension' to Macquarie street will make a majestic thoroughfare intersecting at right angles the main arteries of the city—George, Pitt, Castlereagh, Phillip, and Macquarie - streets containing the Post Office, ' Challis House, the Commonwealth Bank, the new Savings Bank (the plans for which are being amended to turn the facade to the newNstreet), and various other banks and commercial establishments, the extended Martin place will be completely lined with magnificent structures which will make a most imposing, centre for the city. The resumptions will cost more than £1,000,000. _Ihis,_ however, will leave large residual rontajres to the new street in the council's hands, and the Lord Mayor estimates that' the sale of the leaseholds of these will make the scheme in^'the long-run self-sup-porting. The financing of' the. scheme had already been gone. into with the Commonwealth Bank, and the necessary steps for the resumption are being prosecuted with all speed!.