Sign our petition for a public square in the heart of Erskineville's Ashmore precinct

The redevelopment of the Ashmore precinct provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a public square that connects the Erskineville Village and Park Sydney shopping centres.

But the City of Sydney plans to sacrifice this valuable public space to build a through-road for traffic instead.

The City claims the road is needed for car access. But as its own master plan (below) clearly shows, there are already three access roads from Mitchell Road to the Ashmore precinct.

That is more than enough in an inner-city precinct where car ownership is low, most trips are made by public and active transport, and trains, shops, services and schools are within walking distance.

Independent traffic modelling indicates that this road would open up rat runs that are up to seven minutes faster than using main roads, and avoid up to five sets of traffic lights.

That would create a strong incentive for navigation apps and drivers to use residential streets as rat runs – including Macdonald Street, Eve Street, Fox Avenue, Foundry Lane, Hadfields Street, Coulson Street and streets west of the rail line. Traffic volumes on these streets would then be expected to increase until they are as congested as the main roads.

Traffic calming won’t stop the through traffic. Navigation apps will send traffic along these streets day and night. Local streets will be inundated with noisy trucks, motorcycles and cars – increasing traffic danger and damage to parked vehicles. It will be less safe for children to walk to school, leading to more school traffic.

The new road would create a barrier between the Park Sydney Village shopping centre and the future Erskineville Village. It would affect business footfall and limit outdoor dining.

The City has not assessed or modelled this road's impacts on residential streets, safety, and amenity. Community consultation has been minimal.

We’re calling for this public space to become a people‑friendly plaza – the Ashmore Village Square. A safe place to walk, shop, dine, meet and play – not a conduit for through traffic.

Please sign our letter to Lord Mayor Clover Moore asking her to pause and consult the community on other options.

July 2026 update

In July 2026, we received a response from Lord Mayor Clover Moore: click here. It contains several arguments that are not supported by evidence and are misaligned with her and the City's policies and objectives. We have fact-checked these and some other misconceptions in this document: click here.

Original images: Google Maps and Coronation Property. Modified with Adobe Photoshop and Gemini AI.