How the Surry Hills Society saved Surry Hills

The Surry Hills Society was also holding meetings during the Stephenson Inquiry. Clover Moore breezed in on one of the meetings. The only thing I can remember her saying was that she just did not enter parks after dark. Stephenson held meetings in a building across the road from the Clock Hotel but I never saw her again while the fate of Surry Hills was being decided.

The Surry Hills Society had long been campaigning to drive News Corp out of Surry Hills so when the enlarged City of Sydney was dismissed in 1987 and, following the Goran Report, had the CBD hived off, the boundaries were set to keep News Limited properties including the motel at Oxford Square (the intersection of Oxford and Riley Streets) inside the CBD. The South Sydney Council could not block off Riley Street which was part of the boundary to past the Police Centre. Further attempts to block off Reservoir Street were made but this had to be east of Mary Street and were knocked back.

When the Carr Government abruptly dismissed the two Councils and undid the change, the Loonies of South Sydney would regain control of the CBD, the Golden Goose.

The first thing to go was the right-hand turn into Riley Street from Oxford Street. This was replaced with a right turn lane from  Liverpool Street into Wentworth Avenue with a little sign on a lamp-post pointing to Surry Hills down the Avenue. To reach the Surry Hills grid you have to turn into Goulburn Street then Hunt Street then Campbell Street, then finally you could make a right-hand turn into Riley Street. Riley Street is crucial to accessing the road systems of Surry Hills west of Crown Street. Commonwealth Street ends in a left-hand turn into Albion Street and Mary Street does not get you any further and can only be accessed from Goulburn Street by an illegal U-turn in Campbell Street.

When a former Fascist held a Youth Rally at Randwick Racecourse this right-hand turn from Liverpool Street was closed down. Literally the only legal access to Surry Hills was the right-hand turn from Flinders Street into Short Street. I had escaped to Mudgee and came back after the Rally, but the faithful were conducting pilgrimages through Surry Hills. It took hours to get from Parramatta Road to Liverpool Street - a harbinger of what will be happening 7 days a week if trams take over George Street. Mea culpa, I made an illegal right-hand turn from Oxford Street into Riley Street.

The route from Liverpool Street to Riley Street is tortuous but it is the only access residents and businesses in Surry Hills West of Crown have. Then in October 2012 Sydney Council released plans to close this crucial link down.