Fury as elite Sydney school tries to buy street on Lower North Shore

News.com.au

2 days ago

A prestigious Sydney school's proposal to buy part of a public road from council has sparked fierce community opposition, with locals accusing the institution of trying to take over the neighbourhood.
Sydney Church of England Grammar School – better known as Shore – has approached North Sydney Council to purchase a chunk of Edward St north of Lord St. The section of road – a known traffic bottleneck during pick-up and drop-off times – currently separates the Lower North Shore school's senior and preparatory campuses.
Open Space & Infrastructure director Gary Parsons has recommended the council's chief executive be authorised 'to enter into discussions regarding the potential closure and sale' of the street section, The Daily Telegraph reports, including undertaking community consultation.
The independent, all-boys school – which has annual tuition fees of up to $46,000 – would be required to provide a minimum $20,000 bond to cover the cost of council's preliminary 'investigations'.
Council will deliberate the matter at a meeting on Monday night, but the offer has already been met with backlash from residents, who say closing the street would 'exacerbate the existing traffic chaos'.
'It is an education district but it is a residential district too,' Danielle Walters, who has lived in the area for two decades, told The Telegraph.
'How much are we doing to allow a school to dominate a whole area and what does it mean for us? If this is all going to be (a) school, should we just be selling our properties to Shore now?'
Maree Faulkner, another longtime Lower North Shore local, echoed the sentiment on social media, writing there were 'three issues' with the potential acquisition.
'1. This would exacerbate the existing traffic chaos in Edward St at school drop off/pick up times,' Ms Faulkner said.
'I'm already frequently prevented from accessing my property by the queues of massive SUV's and the private traffic wardens employed by SHORE.
'2. This would further alienate Graithwaite (historic house) from the community – even preventing distant public viewing of this beautiful community landmark.
'And most importantly … 3. This is blatant evidence of the misuse of the tax payer $s provided to SHORE. A condition of the sale should be that, in addition to the sale price, SHORE must provide an annual donation of the equivalent amount to an underprivileged school in Western Sydney.'
A Shore spokesperson confirmed to news.com.au it has submitted an application to purchase the portion of street 'that directly borders the Preparatory School campus in North Sydney'.
'This proposal is part of a broader initiative to improve traffic flow and enhance safety for students and families during peak drop-off and pick-up times,' they said.
'The section of Edward Street in question is adjacent to existing School grounds and does not include any residential properties or homes. Shore remains committed to working collaboratively with Council and the local community to ensure the best outcomes for all stakeholders.'
News.com.au has contacted North Sydney Council for comment.
Other residents noted they didn't see an issue with the street being sold to Shore, given 'nobody uses (it) unless it's school related'.
'It's a bit of a nothing street, it's basically a thoroughfare for the school anyway,' someone else pointed out.
'(Locals) are only upset because they don't like the school,' another agreed.
'The piece of road runs through the middle of the school and is of no use to anyone but the school.'
The move comes amid the cash-strapped council's ongoing struggle to finance the North Sydney Olympic Pool redevelopment, with the costs associated with it surging to an estimated $122 million.
Last October, council warned it would need to make 'critical decisions' to salvage its finances, including seeking voluntary rates or an 'in-kind contribution' on their property holdings from the area's six independent schools, including Shore.
'Private schools own approximately 152,566 square metres in the LGA and if that were rated as a business it would result in additional rate revenue of over $1 million,' North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker said at a December council meeting.