Crown, Cleveland and Baptist Streets – Surrey Hills, Sydney will receive bright new lighting, new trees, garden beds and green walls, custom-made street furniture and wider footpaths to give pedestrians more space.
 
The streets, which together form the southern section of the Crown Street Village Centre, make up one of 10 key business, shopping and cultural precincts across the City of Sydney.
 
They have been earmarked for a green facelift, which is expected to cost over $5 million, to improve the quality and character of local public space.
 
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said a precinct with such an active street life deserves high-quality public amenities to match.
 

“We're giving Crown, Cleveland and Baptist Streets a facelift to make them cleaner, greener and more welcoming,” she said.
 

“Local residents and businesses have told us these changes will make a big difference to the way they live and work – from new lights that will increase safety at night, to seating that will encourage passers-by to stop, relax and take some time out from their busy day."
 
Following a feasibility study and extensive consultation, the City put its plans for the area on public exhibition late last year.
 

An overwhelming majority of people and businesses supported the plans, and their suggestions were taken onboard – including inviting local artists to contribute to the designs.
 
Works in the area will be completed in four stages over the next 12 -18 months.
 
The first stage focuses on; simple refurbishment and maintenance works to improve the overall appearance of the precinct; greening Cleveland Street with new street trees and hedges; resurfacing of footpaths on Crown Street between Devonshire and Cleveland Streets; and installing expanded garden beds, green walls and new brick paving at bus stops and along the shopping village frontage of Baptist Street.

 

The second stage will involve more complex works to expand public space and make it more inviting and user-friendly, with up to 77 linear metres of pavement extensions and upgrades along Crown Street between Devonshire and Cleveland Streets will cater for the thousands of people who walk through Surry Hills.

 

The intersection of Crown, Cleveland and Baptist Streets will receive footpath widening, the removal of a slip lane, new Smartpoles, moving powerlines underground and new kerbstone and paving.

 

The separated bridleway on the eastern side of Baptist Street will be landscaped and used to capture stormwater, and additional public lighting will be installed in High Holborn Street, part of which is closed to traffic.

 

The third and fourth stages of the works will transform Cleveland Street into a green corridor linking Moore Park and Prince Alfred Park with more trees and more discreet powerlines, and new public lighting will brighten key laneways including Matterson Avenue and Cleveland Avenue.
 
The City hopes that all works in the area will be completed by mid-2013.
 
The Surry Hills upgrade is part of an ongoing program to improve Sydney's public domain and provide more attractive and welcoming spaces for residents, workers and visitors alike.