With wider footpaths, more trees, new street furniture and extensive paving for walking and outdoor dining, the City of Sydney is transforming George Street into a world-class boulevard.

We’re creating 9000 square metres of car-free space along the George Street light rail route from Bathurst Street to Railway Square.

There are also plans to open up a new public space on Devonshire Street between Chalmers and Elizabeth streets, Surry Hills, with work set to start in 2022.

You can see plans of the works at city.sydney/george-street, along with details on construction timing and staging.

The Albion Place Hotel on George Street is set to benefit from the first stage of transformation. David Highet, director of operations for venue owner Reserve Hotels, said the new-look George Street will help revitalise the area.

“This part of town has always been a bustling entertainment hub that attracted a diverse demographic looking to eat, drink and come together at a range of venues. But when Covid hit, we saw business slump overnight,” David said.

This wonderful idea to turn George Street into a European-style boulevard will draw people back into the area and inspire us to explore new business opportunities.

“This is going to help turn George Street South into a destination in its own right and take the precinct to the next level.”

The $43.5 million project works include:

• extended pedestrianised zones at the southern end of George Street between Bathurst Street and Rawson Place
• open space improvements on George Street between Rawson Place and Pitt Street, Ultimo Road, Thomas Street and Hay Street
• more than 9000 square metres of new space for walking
• granite footpaths to replace car lanes
• new street trees, seating and lighting
• spaces for outdoor dining
• simpler intersections to reduce travel times for everyone.

Local access and emergency services access will be maintained.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the project will be a boost for the local economy and support recovery from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Block by block, we’re turning bitumen into beautiful paving with room for new trees, outdoor dining and street furniture,” the Lord Mayor said.

“We’ve loved seeing people reclaim George Street south while the temporary road closure measures have been in place. Now we want to make these measures permanent, giving people more space to window shop, dine and walk while maintaining physical distancing.

“This work will complete our long-held vision of turning George Street into wonderful tree-lined pedestrian and light rail boulevard through the heart of our city.

Extending this public space with permanent, quality infrastructure will make the whole area more appealing for workers, visitors, residents and local businesses, and encourage walking through the centre of our city.

The project is supported at all levels of government and will be completed with a $7.05 million contribution from the Australian Government for part of the project on George Street between Bathurst and Goulbourn streets and $1 million from the NSW Government for the overall works.

The works will be done in stages to minimise disruption to people and businesses.