Big Mac's contempt for our history

Fast food chain McDonald's and developer Gameplan Sport and Leisure are 
seeking court approval for a monstrous new development at the entry to one 
of Sydney's most historic city parks — the site of the ceremonial 
Federation of the Australian colonies in 1901.

If approved, the proposed new development would be on the site of the 
former small "Colonial Diner" restaurant, the adjacent tennis court complex 
and several historic fig trees, with a large new garish McDonald's 
restaurant, a new tennis court complex and a carpark for 80 cars.

The upgrading of the tennis courts, which are currently small, affordable 
and unobtrusive, would almost certainly involve a hike in charges, putting 
them beyond the reach of the less well off.

If it goes ahead, the development would be located in Moore Park, at the 
beginning of the tree-lined Grand Drive which leads to Centennial Park and 
the site of the Federation ceremony.

As well as destroying part of the national heritage and interfering with 
the renovation of the Grand Drive, the development would disrupt traffic, 
impede the route of the Olympic marathon and cycling events, and interfere 
with local activities.

Since Federation the Grand Drive has been marred by construction of the 
eyesore Colonial Diner, insensitive adjacent works and simple neglect.

In recent years the Grand Drive area has been the subject of a Commonwealth 
grant of $11 million to upgrade its landscaping and carry out other works, 
consistent with the grand and beautiful design originally envisaged for the 
area.

The grant would at last have provided a fitting new entry to this historic 
site. However, in 1995, former Liberal Government Environment Minister 
Chris Hartcher approved a scheme that would allow McDonalds to build its 
new fast food outlet there in return for upgrading the tennis court 
complex.

The Sydney City Council rejected the proposal and its decision was upheld 
by the NSW Land and Environment Court. However, the NSW Appeals Court 
overturned the judgement and approved the proposal, subject to Council 
submitting conditions for the development.

Opposed

The scheme is opposed by the local residents, the South Sydney Heritage 
Society, Sydney Girls High School, the Olympic Coordination Authority, 
local MP Clover Moore, and the Department of Transport. Even Rupert 
Murdoch's Fox Studios has weighed in with objections, presumably on the 
grounds of interference with its business operations.

Of 131 submissions received by Council regarding the development 
application, all but one were opposed to the proposal.

A Council report has recommended that if the development goes ahead it 
should be very limited in scale and visual impact, for example, that 
advertising hordings be limited to two square metres in size.

However, the report acknowledges that any development in that location, no 
matter how constrained, would be grossly inappropriate. The main 
recommendation of the report is that the Council should ask the State 
Premier to revoke the development agreement between Gameplan and the 
Centennial and Moore Park Trust.

The approval of the scheme by the Appeal Court reinforces the growing 
public belief in NSW that even the most outrageous development proposals 
will gain approval if the developer simply pursues the matter through the 
Court system.

Centennial Park and the Grand Drive entry to it symbolise the transition of 
Australia from a collection of separate British colonies to nation-hood. 
The area therefore has major significance for the Australian people.

If the Grand Drive fast food proposal is not stopped by the State 
Government, its acceptance will symbolise the potential privatisation and 
exploitation of any place in Australia, irrespective of its significance.