$27 million revamp approved for native plants and event space

The Shakespeare Memorial, a bronze life-sized figure of William Shakespeare between lanes in Shakespeare Place, will be relocated to the forecourt, in front of the library’s Shakespeare Room.

Plans submitted to the council’s local planning panel, which greenlit the project on Wednesday, proposed up to 52 events a year operating between 7am and 10pm, and six special events allowed to run to midnight.

Public submissions on the government’s proposal raised concerns about the project’s cost, noise disruption from construction and large events, and traffic detours.

One submission argued $27 million was “a steep price tag for a forecourt next to a major roadway”, when there was “already the sizeable Domain right next to the library to provide green space”.

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Another submission, from a Macquarie Street unit owner, said a kiosk would create “visual pollution and therefore loss of property values”, while halving Shakespeare Place would “create traffic chaos and is … absurd”. She worried events on the lawn would cause “noise disturbance … visual intrusion and, unless council are also building bathrooms for 1500 people gathering, pungent smells”.

Planning documents said construction and event noise would not unreasonably affect nearby developments. The plans had “sufficiently demonstrated the future road design can accommodate the forecasted traffic load whilst having an acceptable impact on the wider road network”.

The documents said the proposal would upgrade public spaces, improve the library precinct, boost tree canopy cover, and provide opportunities for events.

State librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon said the new forecourt would “further elevate the library as both a cultural destination and a welcoming and magnificent setting for discovery”.

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