Green Square, New South Wales

Green Square is a district in the inner-east of Sydney, in the suburbs of Alexandria, Zetland, Waterloo and Beaconsfield. It is 4 km south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.The centre of the Green Square district is at the junction of Bourke Road, Botany Road and O'Riordan Street. Green Square railway station on the Airport, Inner West & South Line is located at this junction.The area is predominantly light industrial, with a small amount of high-density residential development. The area is undergoing one of the largest urban renewal projects undertaken in Australia. The urban renewal area spans 292 hectares. According to the Lord Mayor, "Green Square will provide 20,000 new homes; 22,000 jobs; and house 40,000 new residents".HistoryGreen Square takes its name from a small park named in 1938 to honour Frederick Green, a Labor MP and tireless promoter of local industry and jobs who was a mayor of Alexandria.In December 2007, construction work began on the Green Square town centre at the intersection of Botany Road, O'Riordan and Bourke Streets, with the demolition of the Waterloo Incinerator on the site. However the project moved slowly over the next few years. But in March 2012, the project entered a new phase. The Government announced that the dilapidated Joynton Smith building at the old Royal South Sydney hospital site had been torn down to kick start the A$8 billion project. As part of this stage, fourteen derelict buildings will be demolished by the end of 2012. Once the demolition is completed, work will start on community infrastructure, including a community hall, a community shed, artists' studios and workshops and a park.