Sydney Chinatown set for ‘chef’s gallery’ renovations
The City of Sydney is looking to spruce up Chinatown with a new fund that puts cooking and food preparation to the front of restaurants.
The council, which has agreed to more than a million dollars in funding, has committed to matching the “chef’s gallery” style upgrade of Chinatown dollar for dollar.
A City of Sydney spokeswoman said the upgrade campaign will run until July 2027, or until the funding runs out.
“The City of Sydney will contribute $1.2 million to the new Dixon Street improvements grant program,” the spokeswoman said.
“Grant applicants are required to match the funding amount.”
Restaurants that take up the food theatre renovation offer will be able to receive up to $60,000 in matched funding from the council, which recently unveiled plans to bring the “theatre of food preparation” to the street.
Renovations will be designed to enable restaurants to showcase the cooking and preparation of food along Dixon Street.
Restaurants will also be able to have funding up to $20,000 matched for renovation of signs, neon lighting, and windows or awnings.
Haymarket Alliance manager Kevin Cheng welcomed the scheme.
“Dixon Street is the heart of Chinatown, but it’s been crying out for some investment for many years,” Cheng told The Australian.
Cheng also runs not-for-profit Soul of Chinatown with Peter and Hayden Wong, advocating for the area’s heritage.
Consultation on the funding has been going on for a year and has included community leaders, architects and designers.
“From the Alliance’s point of view, we value that a lot, and we see there’s been a really focused effort from the City’s behalf to consult with Chinatown,” Cheng said.
“It just goes to show, honestly, the work that’s been put in, from being presented with the initial big-picture idea of a chef’s gallery to what they’ve fleshed it out to be.”
Mother Chu owner Alan Chu does foresee some issues including a fight to secure permission from the owners of the buildings the restaurateurs operate from and potential issues with exhaust. He says an overhaul would cost around $60,000.
“I think with design, building materials and labour it will far exceed the amount that the grant provides funding for,” Chu told The Australian.
Director of Sydney-based architecture and design firm Basalt Studio Anthony Ho is keen to help. Basalt has been responsible for the designs of popular restaurants including YX Hotpot and the entire precinct of Burwood Chinatown,
“The traditional role of a Chinatown was the landing spot for migrant Chinese, with family who lived there, support networks and the things that made you feel like you were at home, and food was one of them,” he told The Australian.
“I’d love to see more integration between the businesses and the public domain. One of the biggest things that can happen there is that it needs to feel like a city in itself.”
The council is keen to make this happen.
The overall $43.5 million plan to revitalise Haymarket and Chinatown includes expanding Thai Town and improving traffic flow.
The revitalisation will see Thai Town extend beyond its Pitt Street home to include a section of Campbell Street, in front of the Capitol Theatre.
To improve access to Chinatown, the City also plans to reduce Harbour Street, which divides Chinatown and Darling Square, from two lanes to one. This change is widely supported as the current entrance to Harbour Street from Hay Street is already restricted to a single lane on Sussex Street.
Jonathan Jackson, 1st August 2024
