Hume St Park: Crows Nest’s Newest Open Space!

The first stage of the Hume St Park expansion project is now complete, adding more than 1,200 square metres of new open space in Crows Nest. 

The $20 million Hume St park project includes a new pedestrian link from Willoughby Road and a spacious green park with beautiful landscaped gardens, state of the art lighting and well placed  seating for residents and workers to enjoy lunch or coffee while being immersed by the  outdoors. When the new Metro opens in 2024, thousands of people are expected to use the  new pedestrian link during peak hour to walk between the station and the village. 

Council purchased properties at 43-49 Hume St and 90-92 Willoughby Road for  approximately $15 million to create the new open space. The State Government also provided a $3.5 million grant towards the construction costs for the plans. 

North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said this project is spearheading the revitalisation of the  Crows Nest village and supporting the many local businesses on Willoughby Road. 

“I am especially proud of this project, for it represents many of the values that prompted  me to stand for local government. It contributes to a more sustainable and greener future, it  invests in the health and wellbeing of the community, and it has been delivered in  consultation with our community in a well-planned and transparent way.” 

Mayor Baker said she looked forward to exploring the next stage of the project which will  connect this new space with the existing Hume St Park, and make it into one big open plan. 

“This project will set the tone for future developments in the area and inspire the  incorporation of open space in new designs. This is so important right now as we address  the new population growth targets for Crows Nest and St Leonards and look for ways to  balance the density proposed in the State Government’s 2036 Plan.” 

In 2009, Council conducted a comprehensive review of open space within our local  government area. Crows Nest was identified as one of the priority areas where we needed  to create more open space. In 2012, Council completed a St Leonards/Crows Nest Planning  Study which found that the expansion of the Hume St Park would be an effective way to  create more open space in Crows Nest. 

“To explain it simply, our plan is to ensure that the urbanisation of the Crows Nest/St  Leonards area does not overrun our natural environment, and if we have to find ways to  reverse what has been overbuilt, then we will, as we have done here at Hume St today,”  Mayor Baker said.