Community and business groups have given the latest plan to rejuvenate Taylor Square a mixed welcome, praising the City of Sydney for purchasing the notorious former T2 nightclub site, but expressing some concern about council proposals for the space.  

Last week, the City announced that it had purchased the T2 venue and that options for the site included a bicycle repair centre, a bike shop, cafes and space for cycle groups to meet, with a view to Taylor Square becoming a cycle hub.

Local groups generally welcomed the plans, but some would prefer a more diverse role for the T2 site.

“It’s fantastic that council purchased [T2],” said Darlinghurst Business Partnership (DBP) president, Andrew Duckmanton. “We’d been advocating this for some time ... but our proposal also included other elements, such as a post office and a police shopfront.

“We’d like to see Taylor Square become a real community hub, to help stimulate the daytime economy of the area, and the best way to do that is by providing more basic services, to keep the area busy and functional.”

Glen Hansen, co-coordinator of the annual Sydney Pride Festival, which holds events in the surrounding area, expressed similar sentiments. “Anything that will make Taylor Square more vital during the day is a good thing, but I’d like to see services in there as well as the bike hub.”

Surry Hills Police Commander, Superintendent Donna Adney, was enthusiastic about the proposal and said it would have a positive impact on the precinct.

Adney, who called the closure of T2 “a blessing”, said: “It is great to see businesses that are not licensed premises opening in the area – Oxford Street and Taylor Square need to be about more than licensed premises.”

She did not support the DBP’s proposal for a police shopfront, pointing out that the Surry Hills Police Station was already located nearby, just 200 metres from Oxford Street.

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