Sydney’s Taylor Square community hub gets green light

The once notorious former T2 nightclub at East Sydneys's Taylor Square is to be transformed into a community bike hub, complete with a café and new spaces for meetings, film screenings, talks, retail and bike hire.

With the concept design for the hub endorsed by the City of Sydney Council in March, work has begun on the detailed design and planning, with building work likely to begin in a year’s time.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the community bike hub would re-energise the area with a range of activities throughout the day for the thousands of people in the area each day.

Lord Mayor Moore stated “in 2009, the City of Sydney purchased the former T2 nightclub contingent on its use as a Bike Hub. This was supported by research that showed a bike hub could help reactivate the daytime economy in Oxford Street and make the area around Taylor Square safer.

“Bike hubs exist around the world. We want to create a place for people riding to and from work with places to park their bike and grab a coffee. It will also help tourists and families wanting to hire a bike or people looking for safety lessons.

“Taylor Square south is busy with tourists, workers, local residents and shoppers and more than 1,200 people ride past on an average weekday.

“The building sits on a major intersection for bike riders connecting Woolloomooloo, Waterloo, Paddington and the inner city and the building, at the intersection of all three major cycle routes, is a central gathering space for pedestrians and bike riders.

“The flexible studio spaces that form part of the new design will be available for use by a range of groups including start-ups, GLBTI advocacy groups and other community groups.

“The latest independent counts show a 113% jump in the number of bike trips in the City of Sydney since 2010 and the most recent National Cycling Participation Survey found (a quarter of) City of Sydney residents rode a bike ... in the last month.”

Improved pedestrian and bike access to the building is also being investigated, with Council endorsing a proposal to close Patterson Lane at the rear of the building to vehicle traffic. Additional consultation will also be carried out to determine the proposal to close Patterson Lane.

The building, at the intersection of three major cycle routes, is a central gathering space for pedestrians and bike riders and the new-look facility will include flexible spaces to accommodate a range of uses including:

• A new café;
• Exhibition and event spaces for films, talks and workshops;
• A bike repairs and workshop space;
• Bike retail and hire; and
• Studio spaces and meeting rooms for community groups.

The site was purchased by Council in 2009 after housing numerous tenants, including the Commonwealth Bank in 1915. The City undertook lengthy public consultation, including a workshop and door knocking campaign in 2012 and 2013, to determine the best use for the site.

The new bike hub is part of range of measures the City is taking to activate Taylor Square and Oxford Street, including a major new public artwork for Taylor Square, upgrades to neighbouring footpaths and laneways, more greenery and hanging flower pots, affordable creative spaces and pop-up galleries and stores.

Programmable coloured lighting will also bring the building to life during events including as Mardi Gras, Pink Ribbon Day, Bike Film Festival and Sydney Rides Festival.

The upgrade will integrate the building’s heritage facade with contemporary architecture and the building will be fully accessible with a lift that can accommodate multiple bikes travelling from the basement to the rooftop terrace and garden.

More than 20 expressions of interest were received by operators wanting to use the site for a range of activities, including a café, bike workshops and community workshops.