Construction has kicked off this week to transform Waratah Avenue into a new urban plaza in the heart of Randwick Junction, Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker announced today Wednesday 17 May.

“We are delighted to be creating a pedestrian-friendly area and more space for people to meet, gather and enjoy community life,” said Mayor Parker.

“This exciting project comes as part of Randwick Council’s continued commitment to public placemaking, delivering new, functional spaces for community use.”

There will be a major transformation to the existing area as Waratah Avenue will be closed to vehicles between Belmore Road and Arthur Lane. Access to Arthur Lane and driveways to residential car parks will be retained.

Jointly funded by Randwick Council and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, the civic plaza will be an accessible, inclusive place for all, featuring pathways, terraced areas and added green space.

Some key features of the new plaza include:

• a series of terraced outdoor areas
• places to sit and gather
• accessible pathways for pedestrians, prams, wheelchairs and bikes
• a bicycle rack
• new garden beds and street trees to complement the existing fig trees, which will stay
• undergrounding of utilities

During the undergrounding of utilities, there will be temporary power outages, but we will work with the community to ensure the impact on residents and business owners is kept to a minimum.

Temporary fencing and traffic control will be implemented throughout the works to ensure the safety of public and site workers.

Noise, erosion and dust controls will be used to mitigate any adverse impacts on the surrounding community.

Weather permitting, the project is estimated to be completed by early 2024.