The rise of the modern hybrid worker and the high proportion of professionals living here provides a unique opportunity to develop places for people to visit locally during the day or night. This means that environments to work from, meet at or even somewhere just to grab a coffee need to be created.

West Ryde on the western side of the station is generally lacking in amenity from a pedestrian perspective, but the likes of Graf Avenue between Chatham Road and the library with its laneway feel, restaurants, tree canopy and through-site links provide a glimmer of what is possible in this place. West Ryde is also characterised by traffic-dominated street, including heavy vehicles accessing the supermarket loading docks that face the street. This reduces the potential for walkable streets and to provide spaces for activities like outdoor dining and entertainment.

Meadowbank on the other hand has some shops around the station but the public domain which provides access to/from the TAFE and education precinct is squeezed between a small carpark and bus turning area. The pedestrian environment in Meadowbank is undesirable with a lack of crossing facilities on key desire lines and a high proportion of roundabouts which are not pedestrian-friendly.

Given West Ryde and Meadowbank are only 900 metres apart, it will be an easy walk or cycle between them once the right connections are provided. Council’s renewal strategy will need to take an intergenerational lens to its thinking, recognising that anything that is built typically lasts for 20 – 30 years and this must be front-of-mind when developing actions.