Sydney Metro is a threat to community spaces, parkland and the heritage of Canterbury

 

The NSW Government has announced that the Canterbury Bowling Club site (currently home to the Canterbury Theatre Guild) and parts of Lesley Muir Reserve (Close Street) will be acquired for the construction of the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro

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Residents at 20 Close Street and the Canterbury Sugar Works heritage site will be also be impacted by the construction works with a new access road being constructed from Sugar House Road/Hutton Street to the rear of the Bowling Club greens

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Pedestrian access between Sugar House Road/Hutton Street to Canterbury Road via the footpath along the railway, and to Church St via the pedestrian bridge over the railway line will also be removed by Sydney Metro

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It is most ironic that Sydney Metro will acquire Lesley Muir Reserve, given this parkland along the Cooks River has been named in honor of the Canterbury historian and author of "Shady Acres"

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Lesley Muir's 2016 book "Shady Acres" explores how Sydney's railway history is scarred by politicians, developers, and scandals

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Muir's investigation into political corruption, developer donations and the impact of powerful lobby groups on the design and construction of Sydney’s metropolitan railway and tramway network in the 19th century is a must read