McKeon Street, one of the busiest streets in Maroubra, is about to undergo a transformation that will make it pedestrian-friendly and will encourage people to make more use of public spaces.
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This comes after Randwick City Council qualified for the second round of Streets as Shared Spaces program with a $500,000 grant that will be used for public alfresco dining and general seating, public art and activations.
Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker is looking forward to seeing how residents and businesses enjoy the additional outdoor amenity once McKeon Street becomes more pedestrian-friendly.
He highlighted some of the benefits of creating people-centred spaces, such as fostering connection, reinforcing a sense of community and allowing the local economy to flourish, to name a few.
“I have no doubt this new space will bring a freshness and vitality to the area and when people engage with the space they will come away having had a positive experience,” Mayor Parker said.
The trial closure of a section of McKeon St, adjacent to Marine Parade, will kick off in September 2022.
About Streets as Shared Spaces
The Streets as Shared Spaces program allows local councils to apply for grants that will increase public space, amenity and connection all over bustling streets of their communities.
The NSW Government has allocated $20 million for the second round of funding in October 2021, which was awarded in March 2022. The program started in 2020 as a pilot to enable improvements across the state during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was backed by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment research, which revealed that people in NSW were using and appreciating public space more than ever during the pandemic.
They conducted a survey where they learned people want high-quality public space that’s
easy to access and more people felt less safe in public spaces, especially because of crowding.
For more information about the program and a list of all the Streets as Shared Spaces Round 2 projects, visit www.dpie.nsw.gov.au.