Homepage Latest News Archives - Page 7 of 9

New Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza Coming Soon

Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

A new pedestrian plaza is coming to Knox Street, Double Bay. Despite some opposition, Woollahra Council endorsed the concept design and agreed to push through with the plans.

Amid concerns from residents and business owners, including traffic and loss of parking, the planned transformation of Knox Street into a pedestrianised plaza will push through, utilising the $4.75 million NSW Government grant under its Spaces Legacy Program.

The proposed plan will involve a section of Knox Street between the Bay Street intersection and Goldman Lane. The development will deliver new lighting, planting, public art and seating.

“The new plaza will provide extra space for people to gather, rest and relax in a leafy and welcoming environment. It will also create potential for new events, markets, activations and outdoor dining experiences in an already well-loved and inviting part of Double Bay,” the Woollahra Council page said.

Landscape plan | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

Guilfoyle Square | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

Outdoor Dining Pads | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

Secret garden and Knox Street | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

The concept design was placed in a public exhibition last February 2022 which drew 97 online submissions and 64 submissions via email. Whilst some are supportive of removing cars from the street and giving priority to pedestrians, others expressed concerns over possible traffic congestion and removal of parking.

“The Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza concept design has received support in regards to the design through the public exhibition and it is recommended that Council proceed with detailed design and construction to provide the Double Bay Commercial Centre with a vibrant and engaging space that gives Double Bay an exciting new destination.,” the Council’s Finance, Community & Services Committee Meeting Report said.

The next stage will involve the development of a detailed design and tender process for the construction of the project. The Knox Street pedestrian plaza is expected to be completed in late June 2023.

For more information and updates about the Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza, click here.

New Cinema Complex Coming To Double Bay

Double Bay will score a new local cinema after plans have been revealed that the car park at Cross Street will be demolished to make way for a new cinema complex with retail and community spaces.

Read: New Public Plaza to Open on Knox Street, Double Bay

The new complex is a welcome addition to Double Bay after its only cinema, the Greater Union Cinema, closed back in 2004. Since then, there have been a few proposals to open one in the area but no cinema has opened until now.

The closest ones from Double Bay are the Palace Chauvel Cinema at Oxford St in Paddington and Event Cinemas Bondi Junction.

Aside from a multi-screen cinema complex, the development will also feature a new office space; around 4,000sqm of residential space, including an estimated 18 apartments and car park; a dedicated community space and a new 380-space basement public car park.

The car park will have the same number of public parking spaces, with additional parking for patrons and tenants.

cross st double bay — Public car park at Cross St, Double Bay (Photo credit: Google Street View)

The redevelopment of Cross Street Car Park is a project of Woollahra Council in partnership with Pallas Group, Assembly Funds Management and Fortis.

Craig Swift-McNair, General Manager of Woollahra Council said that the proposal will enhance the Double Bay centre’s social, cultural, and commercial life and affirms the Council’s ongoing commitment to revitalising the area.

“This is a great result for the community, and will complement the significant improvements to Double Bay delivered in recent years by Council, including an award-winning library, the highly-successful Kiaora Place redevelopment, and ongoing revitalisation of the commercial precinct, which has been a major focus for Council,” Mr Swift-McNair said.

“Importantly, the project will be delivered at no cost to Council or ratepayers, while adding valuable new assets which will provide long term benefit to the community.”

The project is now in the planning stage, which involves extensive public exhibition and community consultation at both Planning Proposal and DA stages.

Construction is anticipated to commence in 2024 or 2025.

Customers Express Concerns Over Double Bay Restaurant’s Dress Code

Popular Middle Eastern restaurant Bedouin in Double Bay has instituted a dress code which prohibits people with visible tattoos, heavy jewellery, and designer-labelled clothing from entering the premises.

Read: Melbourne’s Favourite Bakery Opening New Location In Double Bay

The strict dress code, which reads, ‘no visible tattoos,’ ‘no designer labelled apparel,’ and ‘no heavy jewellery’ was posted on a sign near the door.

Some concerned locals, including previous patrons couldn’t help but express their dismay on social media.

“I couldn’t get in because I have tattoos – even though I have no criminal record and have served my country in the army,” said AD Darbs.

Acknowledging the public’s opinions, Woollahra Councillor Richard Shields revealed he does not favour the new policy. Although he’s not a fan of tattoos, he thinks people with tattoos have the right to express themselves in that way.

Despite some criticisms, there are a few who believe Bedouin had the right to set its own house policies, including releasing a dress code.

The restaurant and bar, which opened along Cross Street in 2018, is run by a team of managers who were formerly part of fine dining establishments.

Inside the restaurant (Photo credit: Bedouin Double Bay/Facebook)

Besides their Lebanese-inspired cuisine, Bedouin is known for being frequented by celebrities, having guests such as Nick Kyrgios and Rita Ora as some of their a-list patrons.

The venue boasts a stylish and laidback interior, and Lebanese food given a European twist to match.

With regard to the new dress code, restaurant management said they value their customers and community stakeholders and have always implemented house rules that include a dress policy that discourages intimidating appearances.

Have Your Say On Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza

Photo credit: Google Street View

Locals are being invited to have their say regarding plans to transform a part of Knox Street, Double Bay into a permanent pedestrian plaza.

Read: New Public Plaza to Open on Knox Street, Double Bay

A short survey will run until Wednesday, 23 February 2022 to ask residents for their opinions about the released concept designs for the project.

In September 2021, Woollahra Council held an initial consultation, which revealed that 91 per cent of respondents prefer to see outdoor dining in this space whilst 86 per cent would like to see the space have a ‘spacious and leafy’ feel.

Following a consultation with the community, Council designated architects from Aspect Studios to come up with architectural plans for the site.

The council is seeking to pedestrianise a section of Knox Street (between the Bay Street intersection and Goldman Lane), adding new lighting, plantings, public art and seating for the community.

The proposed Knox Street pedestrian plaza is part of the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program and estimated to cost around $4.75 million. If approved, Council will start construction in mid 2022 and will open the plaza by January 2023.

Read: Melbourne’s Favourite Bakery Opening New Location In Double Bay

Mixed Reactions

Whilst the plans have received many positive responses from locals living nearby, there are a few residents who oppose the new pedestrianised public plaza.

A few business owners from Knox St and residents from Cosmo Centre hope the council will reconsider their plans and tweak certain aspects of the proposal.

Locals wanted to see street parking retained but they also want to widen pedestrian paths by reducing traffic lanes from three to one. There are also a few who suggested temporary bollards which could be erected to close the street during events.

Melbourne’s Favourite Bakery Opening New Location In Double Bay

Photo credit: @bakerbleu/Instagram

Melbourne’s popular bakery Baker Bleu, known for supplying bread to top restaurants across the city, is opening its first Sydney store in Double Bay in early 2022.

Read: New Public Plaza to Open on Knox Street, Double Bay

Similar to the original location in Melbourne, Baker Bleu Sydney will offer sourdough, bagels, baguettes, and white and rye loaves. Customers can also grab pizza slices and grocery items such as spreads, jams, and honey from the store.

What’s special about Baker Bleu’s breads is they have a longer shelf life compared to most commercial breads, since they don’t contain preservatives or additives. The loaves are made with wild yeast and are naturally leavened. They ferment for at least 18 hours, so you’ll get that dense bread with caramel-hued crusts.

The venue will be managed alongside veteran chef Neil Perry, who also owns the newly opened Margaret which is just a stone’s throw away. Baker Bleu will also supply bread to Chef Perry’s restaurant.

Baker Bleu has supplied bread to Melbourne’s renowned restaurants such as Attica and Cumulus Inc. They first opened in 2016 in Caulfield then in May 2021, they launched a location at Hawksburn Village in Prahran, just off Malvern Road.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Neil Perry (@chefneilperry)

Baker Bleu Sydney will occupy one of the retail spaces at Fortis at 2 Guilfoyle Ave, Double Bay. To stay updated with the bakery’s opening, follow them on Instagram @bakerbleu.

Japanese Restaurant In Double Bay Now Offers Takeaway And Delivery

Photo credit: Saké Restaurant & Bar Double Bay

Saké Restaurant & Bar Double Bay is now offering pickup and delivery of their famous sushi and sashimi, alongside their bestselling Hiramasa kingfish and popcorn shrimp, and other classic Japanese staples.

Read: Double Bay Tops ATO’s List for Highest-Paid Earners

The wide menu includes the restaurant’s miso glazed toothfish, vegetarian fried rice, edamame, house salad, and miso soup. Those who want to taste all these can simply order “The Sake Classics” from the special menu, as well as cocktails, beers, and ciders to go with their delectable Japanese dishes.

sake-double-bay — *Photo credit: Saké Restaurant & Bar Double Bay/Facebook*

Situated in the Intercontinental Hotel at Cross Street, Saké Restaurant & Bar in Double Bay is a contemporary sushi restaurant serving up innovative Japanese food. It’s the fourth location of the award-winning restaurant, which has outlets across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

The restaurant boasts a stunning bar, indoor seating for up to 120 guests, and an outdoor terrace that can accommodate around 30 guests.

Photo credit: Saké Restaurant & Bar Double Bay/Facebook

Whilst the restaurant remains open, it has introduced Saké @ Home to accommodate customers during the pandemic. To place your order, go directly to Saké Restaurant’s website or order via Uber Eats.

Pickup is also allowed from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. In addition to ready-to-eat meals, Saké Restaurant also lets customers buy chilled and ready to finish dishes through Providoor.

Saké Restaurant & Bar Double Bay

Phone: 02 8017 3104

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SakeRestaurantDoubleBay

Instagram: @sakerestaurant

New Public Plaza to Open on Knox Street, Double Bay

Plans are in the works to create a public plaza on Knox Street, as part of upgrades to eco-friendly public places of a new, $250-million state program called the Public Spaces Legacy Program.

According to Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, the funding has managed to support 60 successful council proposals for over a hundred projects — one of which calls for the creation of an all-new public plaza in Knox Street, Double Bay.

The Woollahra Municipal Council’s proposal, titled Enhancing and Revitalising Woollahra’s Iconic Spaces Project, aims to create a pedestrianised public plaza in Knox Street that comes complete with new plantings, lighting, public art and seating areas. In order to construct the plaza, the local council has received a $4.75 million grant.

Photo credit: CC BY/J Bar/Wikimedia Commons

“This pandemic has reminded us of the immense value we all place on our public spaces – our parks, streets, plazas, cycleways, foreshores, bushland and walking trails,” said Mr Perrottet. “This program and the funding behind it will not only lead to better public spaces, but the work to construct them will boost local economies through the creation of more jobs.”

The new plaza is estimated to be complete and open to the public by the end of 2022. To learn more about the Public Spaces Legacy Program, read about it on New South Wales Government’s website here.

Double Bay Tops ATO’s List for Highest-Paid Earners

Double Bay has emerged as the suburb with the highest-paid earners in the latest report from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) whilst seven of the top 10 postcodes with high-income earners come from Sydney.

The statistical data are from ATO’s 2018-19 financial year, which reveals that surgeons, anaesthesiologists and internal medicine specialists are some of the highest-earning rate payers. These professions made an average of $300,000 to $400,000 in the covered period.

Financial dealers, psychiatrists and those in the legal profession are lucrative occupations as well. However, even before COVID-19 and the lockdowns, hospitality workers, such as waiters and fast-food cooks, earned the lowest average taxable incomes.

Across Australia, 66 people who earned above one million and 156 individuals with a reported income of $500,000 or above paid no taxes for 2018-2019 due to a loophole in the country’s complex tax system, according to Richard Denniss, the chief economist at the Australia Institute.

The group with the most number of taxpayers are those who earned between $37,001 and $90,000, or about 41.7 percent of the working population.

Here are the suburbs of the top 10 of highest-paid earners for 2018-2019:

Suburb	Taxpayer’s Earnings
1 Double Bay, Sydney	$202,541
2 Toorak and Hawksburn, Melbourne	$201,926
3 Darling Point and Point Piper, Sydney	$199,813
4 Dover Heights and Vaucluse, Sydney	$197,886
5 Woollahra, Sydney	$183,418
6 Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove, Perth	$179,376
7 Portsea, Victoria	$175,356
8 Bellevue Hill, Sydney	$173,278
9 Mosman, Sydney	$171,135
10 Northbridge, Sydney	$168,891

In contrast, the lowest income earners are from regional New South Wales and regional Queensland, who made less than $10,000 during the said financial year.

New Fort Denison Dining to Revitalise Historical Port Jackson Site

Exciting changes are about to happen at the Port Jackson Island garrison as grand plans to revive Fort Denison into a new dining destination have been unveiled.

The Point, the famous hospitality group behind The Dolphin and Hotel Harry, has secured the lease to transform and revamp the site into the new Fort Denison Dining. The group plans to take back the site’s crown as the jewel of the Sydney Harbour by offering a range of dining experiences in a casual or fine dining setting.

Aside from the dining rooms, including an alfresco section, Fort Denison Dining will have three exhibition rooms for events like weddings and a dedicated wine room with a bar for guests to leisurely drink and unwind with the best views of Sydney as the backdrop.

Visitors can expect champagne breakfast, tours and live music events to take place as well. On a busy day, the dining site could cater to up to 400 guests.

“The proposal put forward by the Fort Denison Dining team delivers on all of those fronts, and I look forward to seeing Fort Denison reach its potential and become a must-see attraction for locals and visitors alike,” said NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean.

The hospitality group has also secured the necessary environmental and heritage approvals before the redevelopment starts, whilst National Parks and Wildlife Services will work on improving accessibility on the island, including setting up a new wharf for the visitors.

Once used as a penal colony, Fort Denison became a military fortification and defence ground in the 1840s. The guns at the barrack still work and have sometimes been fired for ceremonial events.

In 1992, the National Parks and Wildlife Service took control of the barracks and leased the space for hospitality operators, with the last restaurant shutting down in 2017.

Fort Denison Dining is earmarked to open in late 2022.

New $6.5 Million Redevelopment Plan for Heritage-Listed Gaden House Unveiled

A new plan to redevelop the heritage-listed Gaden House in Double Bay has been unveiled after boutique developer Fortis bought the building from AMA Property.

Fortis director Charles Mellick, who has been a resident of Double Bay for more than 50 years, is confident that their proposal, which has yet to be lodged with Woollahra Council, will have no objections as they have been careful to take into account all of the concerns of the community.

Previous development applications to revitalise the iconic building were opposed and rejected as the plans would completely alter the original building’s mid-century design, courtesy of prominent Sydney architect Neville Gruzman. The public outcry prompted Council to enlist the building as a heritage property.

Mr Mellick said that Fortis, who bought the building in 2020, has some ideas to expand Gaden House while retaining its fundamental design, with respect to Gruzman. The director said that he doesn’t want this heritage-listed site to have a nightclub but will consider a high-end food and drink area on the street level.

To ensure that this redevelopment won’t be rejected, Fortis signed up architect Peter Hurley and a few heritage designers to go over the plans before submitting the application.

Fortis is also nearly done with securing tenancies for the new building whilst Gaden House’s redevelopment is still in the planning stages.

“With significant community interest and heritage sensitivities, Fortis has assembled a project team of the highest calibre,” Fortis said.

“Paying utmost respect to Gruzman’s original designs, the creative vision is to enhance the existing building by restoring key structural and aesthetic elements including the façade, concrete staircase, metal-clad louvres, terrazzo podium and feature lighting circles. Carefully preserving its past, whilst bringing ultra-contemporary new levels of amenity, Gaden House will be re-established as a Double Bay for generations to come.”