Friday, August 20, 2004

Small guy crushed by grey granite

The political fallout from Frank Sartor & Lucy Turnbull is indeed putrid. Aldo, who owns Mama's Italian Restaurant at the top of William Street Kings Cross, has suddenly found his small outdoor eating pavilion fenced off by the dreaded construction fences. The backpackers getting their $5 breakfasts will now have to use the three or four tables inside.

The authorities have told Aldo that his pavilion will be eliminated and replaced by a garden. The fact that he has a DA fot it and has just re-signed a three-year licence is immaterial. Nor was he or anybody else consulted about it, he says. One of the benefits of the new landscaping will be the removal of seats in case 'druggies' sit on them. It is nice to know that soon there will be no public seating left in Sydney and the drug problem will be solved. Tough luck for the older people who actually need them.

Baulderstone Hornibrook and the RTA are 'upgrading' the area as part of the Cross City Tunnel deal. This means all the rather nice brick landscaping is being replaced by the grey granite doctrine brought in by Frank and enforced by Lucy. The mature plane trees there have to go -- many say it's to improve the view of the Coke Sign which generates income for the now-being-redeveloped Kingsgate shopping centre building, that monument to impersonal concrete.

Interesting how the 'revitalisation' of Kings Cross to date involves destroying businesses. Shades of ex-commander Dave Darcy's comments that he was helping the revitalisation of Roslyn Street by closing down the pot cafes. Looks pretty dead to me.

Aldo and his restaurant date back to when his area was the original 'little Italy' of Sydney, renmants of which can still be found in Bar Coluzzi and the Stanley/Crown St precinct.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't worry the Grey Granite will be Black in a few months. Just look at Bayswater Rd and the top of Rosslyn St They are stained with junky vomit and spilt drink.

Anonymous said...

Clover's hit men pounced on the new cafe in Bayswater Rd for putting out a few chairs and tables without a licence. (formerly Waterlilly)

As there is no business in the area whilst footpaths are being built by the 5 workmen employed by Ford Civil you would think that some concession would be made.

The Council is off its rocker. Milk crates are permitted to be sat on up and down the streets and stuff anyone wanting to make a living and attract life back into the area.

Tony: