1964: North Shore Council Restructure

 

Source: Anon. 1964. ""Impracticable," Mayor protests". The Daily Telegraph, February 4: 7.

Above is a 1964 newspaper clipping from The Daily Telegraph with a map of new North Shore council boundaries proposed by the Northside Advancement Committee to the Local Government Boundaries Commission.

Under the proposed scheme:

• Lane Cove Council would be enlarged by around 25% to encompass parts of the Willoughby Council area west of the Pacific Highway. It became a predominantly residential area.
• Mosman Council would be enlarged by around 25% to encompass part of the North Sydney Local Government Area. Like Lane Cove, it would also be a predominantly residential area.
• Willoughby and North Sydney Councils would be merged to form a new local government area focusing on commercial development.

The restructuring was simply to aid commercial development on the North Shore and provide residents north of the harbour with increased employment opportunities, avoiding the need to cross the harbour to seek employment. This was the same approach taken with Sydney City Council at various stages in its history, where the boundaries reflected commercial activity. 

Source: Anon. 1964. "Scheme to develop Nth. Shore". The Daily Telegraph, February 3: 8.

Town planning expert Dr. Ivan Boileau supported the plan as it encouraged "a twin commercial" (two cities) centres.

 

Source: Anon. 1964. "Expert sees value in N. Shore plan". The Daily Telegraph, February 5: 14.

While the proposal never came to fruition, such a proposal today would not be popular going by attempts to merge North Sydney, Mosman and Willoughby Councils into one council in 2016.