A storm is brewing across Sydney’s Upper North Shore as community frustration with Ku-ring-gai Council reaches a breaking point.
Next Sunday, 2nd August, locals will take to the streets in a “Rally in Red” to demand action on the long-derelict 2A Marian St Theatre, Killara. While organisers describe the event as a celebration of local creative arts, they make no secret of its primary driver: a protest born out of red-hot anger at a generation of Council inaction.
The figures tell a stark story. Exactly 1,805 days ago, following thousands of hours of public consultation and unanimous endorsement from Councillors and staff, an imaginative Development Application (DA 0144/20) was approved to restore the historic Marian St site into a vibrant arts and cultural hub.
Yet today, 98.8% of that 5-year approval period has been squandered.
With the clock ticking, there are now just 22 days left before the DA approval expires on 19 August 2026. If Council fails to physically commence works or lock in funding before the deadline, the entire multi-year project resets to zero – wasting millions in preliminary costs and community goodwill.
“Ku-ring-gai Council has failed dismally to deal with 2A Marian St, Killara for a whole generation,” says Marian St ACTION advocates. “The consistent promises have not been kept, blind-siding Council’s own Arts and Cultural Committee.”
The fight over Marian Street comes at a pivotal moment for local arts and community infrastructure. Across the Ku-ring-gai LGA, grassroots groups are connecting the dots between several controversial Council decisions, including delays and disputes over Norman Griffith Oval, the Lindfield Hub, and heritage conservation efforts spearheaded by FOKE (Friends of Ku-ring-gai Environment).
Residents point to a pattern of systemic inertia and sharp U-turns at the Councillor level. While local support is swelling for broader arts initiatives – such as NSW Arts Minister John Graham’s support for regional arts infrastructure and venues like the Divine Playhouse – Ku-ring-gai risks falling behind its North Shore neighbours.
A quick look at the historical timeline highlights why the community’s patience has run out:
- 1918–1931: Community funds and purchases the original Killara Soldiers Memorial Hall before handing stewardship to Ku-ring-gai Council.
- 1966–2013: A golden era of local theatre ends abruptly in 2013 when Council locks the doors due to building compliance issues.
- 2018: Over 3,900 residents sign a petition to restore the theatre. Council unanimously accepts a community business plan.
- 2021: DA 0144/20 is officially approved by the Sydney North Planning Panel for a $12m redevelopment.
- 2022: Cr Spencer proposes a motion to rezone and sell 2A Marian St. Motion is not moved.
Organisers from Marian St ACTION are calling on all Upper North Shore residents to turn out in force, wear red, and show Council that the community will not let 2A Marian St be quietly abandoned.
