Sydney’s Gay Neighbourhood Oxford Street’s Community Consultation Outcome Revealed

The outcome of the Oxford Street LGBTIQA+ Social and Cultural Place Strategy community consultation was presented to the City of Sydney Council on Monday.

Under the Strategy, the City has released a framework to recognise the importance of Oxford Street to the LGBTQI community. It will also identify places of LGBTQI significance while strengthening the street’s LGBTQI cultural identity.

The framework includes protections for LGBTQI heritage items, highlighting LGBTQI history and culture, more LGBTQI artwork and rainbow crossings, protections for sex on premises venues, and incentives for LGBTQI employment and inclusion as well as the much talked about Qtopia museum.

173 submissions Received Between April 12 and May 24

The Oxford Street LGBTIQA+ Social and Cultural Place Strategy was open for submission from April 12 till May 24.

During that time, the City of Sydney received 173 submissions.

Among the additions coming out of the community consultation include developing a First Nations Queer Cultural Space, more late-night transport options to the Oxford Street precinct, and advocating for affordable housing for LGBTIQA+ people and other vulnerable community members close to Oxford Street. Also included are an acknowledgement of historical places, murals, public artwork, “Pride themed Living Colour floral displays” and Pride-themed lighting at the Taylor Square fountain.

While the outcome was passed unanimously the meeting was not without spark. 

During the meeting, Labor Councillor Linda Scott questioned the number of permanent fixes to Oxford street in the strategy. 

Talking about the “temporary things” in the strategy, such as repainting rainbow crossings and adding flowers, Scott said, “I’m not arguing all these things don’t need to happen –they do. 

“I think what we wanted, having lost [the T2 Building], was a number of very big visible clear reminders built into the planning controls and our other strategies about the history of this area and what it meant, because the concern was, you could walk up to Oxford Street, and you could walk up and down the length of the strip, and have all these redeveloped buildings, and it just looks like another main street and… Absolutely nobody ever wants Oxford Street to look like that.

Scott then asked, “So how will this mean that everybody from around the world looks at Oxford Street, not just during World Pride, but every day and says, ‘This is the site of the first march where people got arrested to fight for our Queer community. This is the site of extremely important significant historical events. This is a place where people are welcome.’ How will we see that in the public domain every day?”

City of Sydney Council Chief Executive Officer Monica Barone responded, “I’ll just remind council that the strategy was written in consultation with the community and this has been out to the community and 173 people have participated and said, ‘yeah, they sound like the things we’d like you to do. 

“So I think we’ve had that conversation, and now the question is let’s adopt and get on with it.”

Lord Mayor Clover Moore jumped in, reading a list of additions made after consultation and said, “we’re going to see a renewed sense of rejuvenation that the people who consulted with us want and that we want. And I think we should be very positive and excited about it.”

Scott questioned, “Lord Mayor, these are temporary things. What are the permanent – what are we going to see?”

Moore responded, “I just went through the permanent things. I’m not going to repeat myself. You’re being negative. I reject that. I think this is very positive. We’ve worked very hard to try and get things happening in Oxford Street. They are now happening. I really think we should be celebrating that.”

Sydney Council Meets October 31 To Consider Strategy 

The Oxford Street LGBTIQA+ social and cultural place strategy will now go to Sydney Council for consideration on October 31. 

For years, Oxford Street has been plagued with high vacancies, aggressive vehicle traffic and the absence of a sustainable plan.

In October 2021, the City of Sydney asked for community feedback on a plan to revitalise the renowned LGBTQI strip. 

The plan allows property developers to increase floor space and building height along Oxford Street if they dedicate at least 10% to cultural and creative purposes. 

At the time, the plan did not specially protect the precinct’s LGBTQI+ identity.

After a long grassroots campaign to ensure the preservation of the LGBTQI character of Oxford Street, including the organising of an LGBTQI Oxford Street Community Forum,  the City of Sydney finally moved in the right direction.

Sydney would be the first city in Australia to implement policies that protect the historical and cultural identity of an LGBTQI precinct, joining New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and London.