Clover’s Town Hall Square would long outlast the small-minded fools trying to kill it

October 9, 2026 — 10:13am

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Pushing into her third decade as lord mayor, Clover Moore still has plenty of fans in Sydney – although I’m no longer really one of them.

Moore has been a trailblazer as the city’s first popularly elected female lord mayor, amassing nearly a quarter of a million first-preference votes over six elections. She has helped make Sydney a much better place to live and work, and has been a role model for women in political leadership.

But the 80-year-old has stayed too long, and failed to orchestrate anything resembling a succession plan. Hubris and complacency have also crept in, gifting her haters something of substance to complain about. She is notoriously prickly about criticism. And her continued flirtation with the idea of running for a fresh term in 2028 only serves to highlight how her record-breaking reign has clouded her judgment.

However, none of that means Moore’s latest project, the $94 million Town Hall Square redevelopment, is the dud its opponents paint it to be.

I have watched in amazement over recent months as well-organised groups plot to kill the City of Sydney’s four-decade-long plan to turn a block opposite Sydney Town Hall into much-needed open space.

The campaign has been led by the Business Sydney lobby outfit, retail giant Woolworths, the “Shoppies” union and Planning Minister Paul Scully, with The Daily Telegraph stepping up as their megaphone. The vested-interest alliance has sprouted all sorts of arguments as selfish as they are short-sighted.

The lack of pushback to this effort is astounding. Sensing the risk of the project succumbing to pressure, the........

© The Sydney Morning Herald