“It should be allowed to be a busy,thriving place,and they shouldn’t try to kill it,which seems to be the plan.”
Rossini at the Quay owner Anthony Liberiou also said there had been inadequate consultation and communication about the plans,which had come “at a tremendous cost to all the tenants in the area”.
“Tenants and shareholders were never involved … All I find out is through the news. It’s[the government’s] modus operandi. They keep everyone misinformed and in the dark.”
Liberiou said some business owners had experienced financial stress due to inaction on the plans. He wants the government to provide compensation to affected retailers,and flexibility for them to improve their businesses.
Business owners at the nearby Gateway centre were less worried about the government’s proposal.
Gelato Messina owner Whitney Khuu said:“It mostly doesn’t affect us a lot,more[it affects businesses] at the wharf.”
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Labor’s transport spokeswoman Jo Haylen said on Monday the government had made five announcements to revitalise the Quay over the past five years without an agreed design or business case.
“Unfortunately,the people of Sydney have heard this all before from the government,” Haylen said. “They’ve made grandiose promises about Circular Quay for years but have delivered nothing.
”[Circular Quay] does need an upgrade so it can be a 21st-century transport hub,but instead of real action we’ve seen reannouncement after reannouncement and review after review.“
Moore acknowledged removing the road would be challenging,but said that “city building takes time”.
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“The government should take the long view and begin creating the seamless connection between city and harbour that Sydney deserves,rather than proceeding with an interim solution that will require fixing in years to come.
“The government should use the money earmarked for this project to remove the Cahill Expressway as soon as the Western Harbour Tunnel is complete and then begin work to reroute or underground the rail line,” Moore said.
Treasurer Matt Kean said the funds in the budget would provide for some initial design work,planning approvals,environmental impact statement and community consultation before the government made a final decision.
with AAP
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