Kings Cross Village Centre
Kings Cross Village Centre
Introduction
The City of Sydney undertakes its comprehensive Floor Space and Employment
Census (FES) every five years to coincide with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’
Census of Population and Housing. The latest FES is the first to encompass those
areas amalgamated into the City of Sydney from the former South Sydney and
Leichhardt Councils.
The City of Sydney Floor Space and Employment Census collects data on all
businesses, floor space uses and employment numbers for every building or property
within the City of Sydney local government area. It provides a snapshot of the built
form, land uses and economic activity of the City every five years.
Overview
The City of Sydney’s Kings Cross Village
Centre is located in the north east sector of
the LGA, to the east of the central business
district, and includes the suburbs of Elizabeth
Bay, Potts Point, Woolloomooloo and parts
of Rushcutters Bay. It is bounded by the
harbour foreshore line to the north, the shore
of Rushcutters Bay and the Woollahra
Council LGA boundary to the east,
Bayswater Road and William Street to the
south and Sir John Crescent to the west.
The area is divided through the south west
sector by the CityRail train line and includes
Kings Cross train station. Other major
features of the area include Garden Island,
Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, the Kings
Cross Entertainment Precinct, Beare Park and Figure 1: Kings Cross Village Centre Location Map
Fitzroy Gardens.
According to the 2006 ABS Census of Population and Housing, there were 18,822
residents living in the Kings Cross Village Centre. This represents 11.4% of the total
City of Sydney resident population.
The Kings Cross resident population was housed in 12,423 private dwellings and 261
non-private dwellings. The majority of the private dwellings were located in multi-
storey apartment blocks (88.0%), whilst a further 8.7% of the dwellings were terraces
or townhouses. The remaining private dwellings are either separate houses (0.5%) or
dwellings above shops (2.8%). The private dwelling stock of the Kings Cross Village
Centre comprises 13.8% of the total housing stock of the City of Sydney, which is the
second largest proportion of dwellings within a Village Centre, after the Crown Street
Village Centre.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 1
Kings Cross Village Centre
The Visitor Accommodation Key Totals for Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
sector is serviced by 1,857 Category Total
hotel rooms and 1,603 General
Number of Sites 1,236
backpacker beds,
Number of Buildings 1,190
representing 10.3% and
Business Establishments 778
41.5% of the City’s total
Areas
respectively. Total Site Area (m²) 1,405,991
During the FES, there were Total Floor Area (m²) 2,960,877
1,236 sites surveyed, of Internal Floor Area (m²) 2,249,145
which 1,190 were buildings Em ploym ent
and a further 29 were open Full-time Employment 7,654
space. Some 916 (77%) of Part-time Employment 1,966
these buildings contained at Total Employment 9,620
least one residential dwelling. Residential
Number of Dw ellings 12,684
The total internal floor area
Buildings w ith Dw ellings 916
of the Kings Cross Village
Population 18,822
Centre was 2.250 million
Parking
square metres, of which Public Parking Spaces 1,447
59.4% was devoted to private Tenant Parking Spaces 8,460
households, 30.6% to Total Parking Spaces 9,907
business space, and 10% to Visitor Accom m odation
other uses. Hotel Accommodation 1,857
Serviced Apartments 234
The total employment of the Backpackers Accommodation 1,603
Kings Cross Village Centre
was 9,620, comprising 7,654 Table 1: Key Totals for Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
full-time workers and 1,966
part-time workers. Nearly 2.5% of the City’s workforce is located in the Kings Cross
Village Centre, spread across the 778 businesses that were surveyed in this area.
The 3D image below indicates the major uses of buildings throughout the Kings Cross
Village Centre, the most significant of which are Residential, Commercial and Visitor
Accommodation.
Figure 2: Major Uses, Kings Cross Village Centre - 3D Image
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 2
Kings Cross Village Centre
Industry Classification
Within the FES database every business is classified according to its main “industry
of establishment”, using an amended version of the 1993 Australian and New Zealand
Standard Industrial Classification Code (ANZSIC). This allows for more detailed
categorisation of business uses. These codes have been re-categorised into a “City-
Based Industry” Classification based on the method used by the City of Greater
London. This classification better reflects the mix of uses within the business
community of city centres such as the City of Sydney. There are nineteen “business”
related industry divisions, and a further five “non-business” related industry divisions
within the City-Based Industry Classification.
Overview of City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
% of Total % of Total Business Floor % of Business
City-Based Industry Employment Businesses
Employment Businesses Area Floor Area
Community 316 3.3% 10 1.3% 20,564 3.0%
Creative Industries 828 8.6% 51 6.6% 26,911 3.9%
Finance and Financial Services 365 3.8% 40 5.1% 7,392 1.1%
Food and Drink 1,242 12.9% 159 20.4% 26,513 3.9%
Government 2,249 23.4% 39 5.0% 188,710 27.4%
Health 637 6.6% 21 2.7% 26,543 3.9%
Higher Education and Research 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
ICT 174 1.8% 22 2.8% 2,929 0.4%
Life Science (Bio-tech) 253 2.6% 10 1.3% 6,102 0.9%
Manufacturing 2 0.0% 1 0.1% 33,947 4.9%
Motor Vehicle 206 2.1% 16 2.1% 24,316 3.5%
Natural Resource-Based Industries 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
Other 75 0.8% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
Professional and Business Services 814 8.5% 89 11.4% 21,396 3.1%
Property Development and Operation 346 3.6% 21 2.7% 8,698 1.3%
Retail and Personal Services 446 4.6% 125 16.1% 17,573 2.6%
Social Capital 190 2.0% 26 3.3% 18,808 2.7%
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure 1,216 12.6% 115 14.8% 228,357 33.2%
Transport and Logistics 261 2.7% 25 3.2% 28,675 4.2%
Utilities 0 0.0% 8 1.0% 632 0.1%
Total 9,620 100.0% 778 100.0% 688,065 100.0%
Table 2: Overview of City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
Table 3 shows the number and proportional mix of businesses within the Kings Cross
Village Centre, and compares them to the total number of businesses by category for
the City of Sydney local government area. Also included is the total business
numbers for the area outside of the CBD North and Haymarket Village Centres. These
two hubs, it can be argued, have a significantly different economic structure to the
other eight Village Centres, which have a greater mix of land uses and a higher
proportion of residential properties.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 3
Kings Cross Village Centre
Business Mix By City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
Kings Cross % of Total % of City of Non CBD- % of Non CBD-
City-Based Industry City of Sydney
Village Centre Businesses Sydney Haymarket Haymarket
Community 10 1.3% 211 4.7% 184 5.4%
Creative Industries 51 6.6% 1,555 3.3% 1,030 5.0%
Finance and Financial Services 40 5.1% 1,650 2.4% 209 19.1%
Food and Drink 159 20.4% 2,741 5.8% 1,389 11.4%
Government 39 5.0% 363 10.7% 163 23.9%
Health 21 2.7% 795 2.6% 266 7.9%
Higher Education and Research 0 0.0% 538 0.0% 271 0.0%
ICT 22 2.8% 960 2.3% 432 5.1%
Life Science (Bio-tech) 10 1.3% 206 4.9% 93 10.8%
Manufacturing 1 0.1% 403 0.2% 318 0.3%
Motor Vehicle 16 2.1% 237 6.8% 235 6.8%
Natural Resource-Based Industries 0 0.0% 91 0.0% 4 0.0%
Professional and Business Services 89 11.4% 3,020 2.9% 853 10.4%
Property Development and Operation 21 2.7% 607 3.5% 263 8.0%
Retail and Personal Services 125 16.1% 3,344 3.7% 1,382 9.0%
Social Capital 26 3.3% 499 5.2% 297 8.8%
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure 115 14.8% 1,211 9.5% 569 20.2%
Transport and Logistics 25 3.2% 1,173 2.1% 807 3.1%
Utilities 8 1.0% 142 5.6% 110 7.3%
Total 778 100.0% 19,746 3.9% 8,875 8.8%
Table 2: Business Mix by City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
There are two industries which are not represented within the Kings Cross Village
Centre area, being Higher Education and Research and Natural Resource-Based
Industries. The total number of businesses in the area accounts for 3.9% of total
businesses within the LGA, which is the fourth smallest number of businesses within
a Village Centre (Glebe Point Road, Harris Street and King Street are smaller).
Figure 3 represents the top 5
Kings Cross Village Centre
industry divisions by the Percentage of Establishments by City-Based Industry Division - Top 5
number of business
establishments. The Food Food and Drink,
20.4%
and Drink industry has the Other, 30.7%
greatest number of business
establishments (20.4% of all
businesses), followed by
Retail and Personal Services Retail and Personal
Services, 16.1%
(16.1%) and Tourist, Cultural
and Leisure (14.8%). Creative Industries,
6.6%
Professional and Business
Professional and
Services and Creative Business Services,
Tourist, Cultural and
Leisure, 14.8%
11.4%
Industries account for 11.4%
and 6.6% respectively of all
businesses within the area. Figure 3: Percentage of Establishments by City-Based Industry Division - Top 5
Fourteen other industries
make up the remaining 30.7% of businesses across the Village Centre.
Figure 4 is represented spatially in the following 3D image, highlighting the
distribution of the top 5 industry divisions throughout the Village Centre. The image
also highlights the remaining twelve industries (Other) and the areas that are non-
business related, such as Residential, Vacant and Redevelopment.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 4
Kings Cross Village Centre
Figure 4: Top Five City-Based Industries, Kings Cross Village Centre - 3D Image
Employment in the Kings Cross Village Centre is shown in the table below. As
indicated, the hub contains only 2.5% of the total LGA employment, which is the
second smallest hub workforce in the City of Sydney. It is ranked only above Glebe
Point Road Village Centre which has 1.9% of the total workforce.
Employment Mix By City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
Kings Cross % of Total % of City of Non CBD- % of Non CBD-
City-Based Industry City of Sydney
Village Centre Employment Sydney Haymarket Haymarket
Community 316 3.3% 6,163 5.1% 4,318 7.3%
Creative Industries 828 8.6% 28,700 2.9% 15,811 5.2%
Finance and Financial Services 365 3.8% 89,948 0.4% 3,269 11.2%
Food and Drink 1,242 12.9% 21,199 5.9% 8,957 13.9%
Government 2,249 23.4% 31,947 7.0% 9,589 23.5%
Health 637 6.6% 10,348 6.2% 6,399 10.0%
Higher Education and Research 0 0.0% 19,564 0.0% 14,931 0.0%
ICT 174 1.8% 24,894 0.7% 6,781 2.6%
Life Science (Bio-tech) 253 2.6% 2,492 10.2% 1,313 19.3%
Manufacturing 2 0.0% 7,309 0.0% 5,034 0.0%
Motor Vehicle 206 2.1% 2,289 9.0% 2,286 9.0%
Natural Resource-Based Industries 0 0.0% 1,195 0.0% 19 0.0%
Other 75 0.8% 985 0.0% 457 0.0%
Professional and Business Services 814 8.5% 57,263 1.4% 11,146 7.3%
Property Development and Operation 346 3.6% 8,587 4.0% 2,278 15.2%
Retail and Personal Services 446 4.6% 19,847 2.2% 6,772 6.6%
Social Capital 190 2.0% 7,688 2.5% 3,045 6.2%
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure 1,216 12.6% 23,961 5.1% 9,319 13.0%
Transport and Logistics 261 2.7% 17,414 1.5% 9,894 2.6%
Utilities 0 0.0% 3,620 0.0% 240 0.0%
Total 9,620 100.0% 385,413 2.5% 121,858 7.9%
Table 4: Employment Mix by City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
Nearly one-quarter of the total employment within the Kings Cross Village Centre is
associated with the Government industry, however, this figure only represents 7.0% of
all Government industry employees across the City of Sydney. On the other hand, the
Life Science (Bio-tech) industry accounts for only 2.6% of the employment within the
Village Centre, but this proportion represents 10.2% of the City’s total employment
within the same industry.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 5
Kings Cross Village Centre
Industries that are under-represented in the King Street Village Centre include Higher
Education and Research (0%), Natural Resource-Based Industries (0%), Utilities
(0%), and Manufacturing (0%).
Figure 5 represents the top 5 Kings Cross Village Centre
Percentage of Employment by City-Based Industry Division - Top 5
industry divisions by the
number of employees. The
Government industry has the Government,
23.4%
greatest number of employees Other, 34.0%
with nearly one-quarter of total
employees in the Kings Cross
Village Centre. The Food and
Drink (12.9%) and Tourist, Food and Drink,
12.9%
Cultural and Leisure (12.6%)
industries are ranked second Professional and
Business Services,
and third respectively. 8.5%
Creative Industries,
Tourist, Cultural and
Leisure, 12.6%
8.6%
Creative Industries accounts
for 8.6% of the total workforce
in the Village Centre, with Figure 5: Percentage of Employment by City-Based Industry Division - Top 5
Professional and Business
Services accounting for 8.5%. More than one-third (34%) of the total employment is
made up of the remaining fourteen industries.
The spread of employment throughout the Kings Cross Village Centre is
demonstrated in the following map.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 6
Kings Cross Village Centre
Figure 6: Employment by Block, Kings Cross Street Village Centre, 2007
Figure 6 highlights the locations within the hub that have larger densities of
employment compared to others. The greatest number of employees within the hub is
located within the block containing the Bayview Boulevard Hotel and Westfield
Towers (1,321 employees). The second and third largest concentrations of employees
are located within the blocks containing Garden Island, used by the Royal Australian
Navy and Thales (1,241 and 808 employees). The block containing 724 employees to
the south east contains St Luke’s Hospital, the NSW Police Station.
This map also highlights the mixed nature of land uses within the Village Centre, with
only ten blocks containing no employees.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 7
Kings Cross Village Centre
Internal Floor Area By City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
Kings Cross % of Business % of City of Non CBD- % of Non CBD-
City-Based Industry City of Sydney
Village Centre Floor Area Sydney Haymarket Haymarket
Community 20,564 3.0% 414,350 5.0% 324,492 6.3%
Creative Industries 26,911 3.9% 1,105,572 2.4% 726,331 3.7%
Finance and Financial Services 7,392 1.1% 1,641,406 0.5% 94,349 7.8%
Food and Drink 26,513 3.9% 564,916 4.7% 318,086 8.3%
Government 188,710 27.4% 1,013,521 18.6% 442,466 42.6%
Health 26,543 3.9% 547,907 4.8% 434,298 6.1%
Higher Education and Research 0 0.0% 1,052,033 0.0% 792,578 0.0%
ICT 2,929 0.4% 787,883 0.4% 388,259 0.8%
Life Science (Bio-tech) 6,102 0.9% 83,191 7.3% 60,749 10.0%
Manufacturing 33,947 4.9% 557,705 6.1% 504,065 6.7%
Motor Vehicle 24,316 3.5% 248,824 9.8% 248,704 9.8%
Natural Resource-Based Industries 0 0.0% 31,517 0.0% 1,406 0.0%
Professional and Business Services 21,396 3.1% 1,399,923 1.5% 370146.8178 5.8%
Property Development and Operation 8,698 1.3% 244,070 3.6% 115,206 7.5%
Retail and Personal Services 17,573 2.6% 909,171 1.9% 501,248 3.5%
Social Capital 18,808 2.7% 398,391 4.7% 215,107 8.7%
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure 228,357 33.2% 2,788,164 8.2% 1,184,027 19.3%
Transport and Logistics 28,675 4.2% 2,020,585 1.4% 1,204,387 2.4%
Utilities 632 0.1% 194,832 0.3% 83,722 0.8%
Total 688,065 100.0% 16,003,962 4.3% 8,009,629 8.6%
Private Households 1,335,468 59.4% 10,641,287 12.5% 9,336,560 14.3%
Non-Private Households 12,014 0.5% 167,641 7.2% 162,845 7.4%
Other 123,790 5.5% 4,869,891 2.5% 1,764,212 7.0%
Redevelopment 47,318 2.1% 700,115 6.8% 321,317 14.7%
Vacant 42,489 1.9% 1,821,085 2.3% 1,185,118 3.6%
Total Businesses Floor Area 688,065 30.6% 16,003,962 4.3% 8,009,629 8.6%
Total Floor Area 2,249,145 100.0% 34,203,981 6.6% 20,779,680 10.8%
Table 5: Internal Floor Area by City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
Figure 7 represents the top 5
Kings Cross Village Centre
industry divisions by the total Percentage of Internal Floor Space by City-Based Industry Division - Top 5
internal floor area. The
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure
Other, 26.4%
industry has the greatest area
of floor space (33.2%), which Tourist, Cultural and
can largely be attributed to Leisure, 33.2%
the Kings Cross
Entertainment Precinct and its Creative Industries,
surrounding accommodation. 3.9%
Transport and Logistics,
The Government industry has 4.2%
the second largest area of Manufacturing,
4.9%
internal floor space Government, 27.4%
accounting for 27.4% of the
total area for the Village
Centre, with the Garden Figure 7: Percentage of Internal Floor Space by City-Based Division - Top 5
Island area being the greatest
contributor to this proportion of floor space.
The Manufacturing industry has the third largest proportion of floor area (4.9%)
within the Village Centre, followed by Transport and Logistics (4.2%) and Creative
Industries (3.9%).
As indicated in Table 5 above, the Tourist, Cultural and Leisure industry contains
nearly one-third of the total internal floor area for the Kings Cross Village Centre, but
represents only 8.2% of the total floor area for the same industry across the LGA.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 8
Kings Cross Village Centre
Non-business related floor area within the Kings Cross Street Village Centre is
substantial, with nearly 70% of floor area being associated with residential uses,
redevelopment, vacant floor area or other non-industry related uses. Residential uses
alone account for 59.4% of the total floor area within the Village Centre, despite
having only a small number of blocks containing no employees.
Figure 8: Internal Floor Area by Block, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
Figure 8 indicates the spread of floor area throughout the Village Centre. As
expected, the blocks with the greatest area of floor space are those containing Garden
Island in the north, St Vincent’s College in the centre and high rise apartment blocks
such as Hampton Court, the Crescent Apartments and the Millennium Hotel above the
Coca Cola sign in the south. Within the block to the south east lies St Luke’s Hospital,
the NSW Police Station, serviced apartments and backpacker hostels and various high
rise apartments.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 9
Kings Cross Village Centre
Space Use
The FES data classifies all floor area within the LGA according to the way in which
the space is used. Each space use is assigned a code, which is then categorised
according to fourteen different space use divisions. Space use codes are also used to
record employment, seating capacities, dwelling and room numbers and parking
spaces.
Table 6 indicates the internal floor area by space use division within the Kings Cross
Village Centre. Residential space uses account for nearly 50% of all space use within
the hub, compared to 26.2% of Residential space use throughout the LGA. Parking
space uses accounts for 12.9% followed by Common Area space uses which account
for 9.1% and Office space uses which account for 8.7% of the total hub floor area.
Internal Floor Area by Space Use Division, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney, 2007
Kings Cross % of Space Use
Space Use Division City of Sydney % of City of Sydney
Village Centre Floor Area
Office 196,550 8.7% 7,522,177 22.0%
Shop/Show room 27,726 1.2% 922,171 2.7%
Residential 1,115,417 49.6% 8,977,967 26.2%
Storage 38,529 1.7% 1,907,223 5.6%
Industrial 58,430 2.6% 1,157,790 3.4%
Visitor Accommodation 112,578 5.0% 1,161,338 3.4%
Entertainment/Leisure 34,938 1.6% 778,641 2.3%
Restaurant/Eating 34,803 1.5% 624,666 1.8%
Community 17,422 0.8% 606,024 1.8%
Utilities 7,567 0.3% 382,080 1.1%
Parking 289,934 12.9% 4,263,998 12.5%
Transport 3,739 0.2% 275,727 0.8%
Common Area 205,432 9.1% 4,355,104 12.7%
Other 106,078 4.7% 1,269,078 3.7%
Total 2,249,145 100.0% 34,203,981 100.0%
Table 6: Internal Floor Area by Space Use Division, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
Percentage Comparison of Space Use
Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney LGA, 2007
Office
Shop/Show room
Residential
Storage
Industrial
Visitor Accommodation
Entertainment/Leisure
Restaurant/Eating
Community
Utilities
Parking
Transport
Common Area Kings Cross Village Centre
City of Sydney
Other
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Figure 9: Percentage Comparison of Space Use, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney, 2007
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 10
Kings Cross Village Centre
Figure 9 compares the percentage of internal floor area by space use division between
the Kings Cross Village Centre and the whole of the City of Sydney. There are four
space use divisions which have a greater percentage of internal floor area than the
same divisions for the City of Sydney. These are: Residential, Visitor
Accommodation, Parking and Other.
Table 7 indicates the distribution of employment across the ten key space use
divisions containing employment within the Kings Cross Village Centre. Nearly 69%
of employment is located within Office space uses, which is less than the distribution
of employment across the whole LGA. The Restaurant/Eating division has the
greatest difference in employment between Kings Cross Village Centre and the City
of Sydney, with 15.8% of employees working in Restaurant/Eating space uses in
Kings Cross, compared to 5.8% throughout the LGA.
Employment Mix by Space Use Division, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney, 2007
Kings Cross % of Space Use
Space Use Division City of Sydney % of City of Sydney
Village Centre Employment
Office 6,603 68.8% 318,980 82.8%
Shop/Show room 645 6.7% 20,879 5.4%
Storage 84 0.9% 4,802 1.2%
Industrial 224 2.3% 8,503 2.2%
Visitor Accommodation 6 0.1% 208 0.1%
Entertainment/Leisure 202 2.1% 4,484 1.2%
Restaurant/Eating 1,515 15.8% 22,400 5.8%
Community 310 3.2% 3,825 1.0%
Utilities 0 0.0% 831 0.2%
Transport 6 0.1% 298 0.1%
Total 9,595 100.0% 385,210 100.0%
Table 7: Employment Mix by Space Use Division, Kings Cross Village Centre and City of Sydney, 2007 1
The space use codes that record capacities are most relevant to the Restaurant/Eating
and the Entertainment/Leisure divisions. In the Kings Cross Village Centre, the FES
counted 3,926 restaurant seats, 955 café seats and a further 1,712 outdoor or pavement
seats for dining. There was capacity for 2,922 patrons in the area’s hotels and bars.
The Kings Cross Village Centre provides nearly 10% of the total number of hotel
rooms across the LGA, having the third largest number of rooms in a Village Centre
after the CBD and Haymarket. The Kings Cross Village Centre also provides the
greatest number of beds in Backpacker Accommodation, with 41.5% of the City’s
total number of Backpacker Accommodation beds.
Parking spaces within the Kings Cross Village Centre were comprised of 1,447 public
parking spaces and 8,460 tenant parking spaces, providing a total of 9,907 parking
spaces.
1
Not all Space Use Divisions included
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 11
Kings Cross Village Centre
Workspace Ratios
Workspace ratios are an indication of the average number of square metres within
which employees work for a particular industry. The ratio is determined by dividing
the internal floor area of a City-Based Industry division by the total number of
employees recorded for that industry. Ratios can also be determined using the Space
Use divisions, Office space uses and Occupied Office space uses, where the floor area
is divided by total employees. The ratios for each category are used for projecting the
anticipated population of new developments.
Table 8 below indicates the workspace ratios for the city-based industries located
within the Kings Cross Village Centre and compares them to the same ratios for the
City of Sydney.
Workspace Ratio by City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
Kings Cross City of Sydney
City-Based Industry Internal Floor Area Total Employment
Workspace Ratio (m²) Workspace Ratio (m²)
Community 20,564 316 65.1 67.2
Creative Industries 26,911 828 32.5 38.5
Finance and Financial Services 7,392 365 20.3 18.2
Food and Drink 26,513 1,242 21.3 26.6
Government 188,710 2,249 83.9 31.7
Health 26,543 637 41.7 52.9
Higher Education and Research 0 0 Na 53.8
ICT 2,929 174 16.8 31.6
Life Science (Bio-tech) 6,102 253 24.1 33.4
Manufacturing 33,947 2 16973.7 76.3
Motor Vehicle 24,316 206 118.0 108.7
Natural Resource-Based Industries 0 0 Na 26.4
Professional and Business Services 21,396 814 26.3 24.4
Property Development and Operation 8,698 346 25.1 28.4
Retail and Personal Services 17,573 446 39.4 45.8
Social Capital 18,808 190 99.0 51.8
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure 228,357 1,216 187.8 116.4
Transport and Logistics 28,675 261 109.9 116.0
Utilities 632 0 Na 53.8
Total 688,065 9,545 72.1 41.5
Table 8: Workspace Ratio by City-Based Industry, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007 2
Almost half of the workspace ratios for the Kings Cross Village Centre are quite low
when compared to the City of Sydney, with nine of the nineteen industries within the
Kings Cross Village Centre having smaller ratios than those across the whole LGA.
Social Capital, Manufacturing, Government, Tourist, Cultural and Leisure workspace
ratios are significantly higher than the City of Sydney Ratios.
2
Data in ‘Other’ category not included
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 12
Kings Cross Village Centre
Workspace Ratio by Space Use Division, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
Kings Cross City of Sydney
Space Use Division Internal Floor Area Total Employment
Workspace Ratio (m²) Workspace Ratio (m²)
Office 196,550 6,603 29.8 23.6
Shop/Show room 27,726 645 43.0 44.2
Storage 38,529 84 458.7 397.2
Industrial 58,430 224 260.9 136.2
Visitor Accommodation 112,578 6 18,763.0 5,583.4
Entertainment/Leisure 34,938 202 173.0 173.6
Restaurant/Eating 34,803 1,515 23.0 27.9
Community 17,422 310 56.2 158.4
Utilities 7,567 0 Na 459.8
Transport 3,739 6 623.2 925.3
Total 532,283 9,595 55.5 39.8
Table 9: Workspace Ratio by Space Use Division, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007 3
Similarly, half of the workspace ratios for the Space Use Divisions are also quite high
when compared to the whole LGA (most notably the highest being Visitor
Accommodation). The Community sector has a significantly low ratio at around one
third of the total LGA for that use. The Office workspace ratio is the lowest in the
Kings Cross Village Centre, although it is 6.2m² larger than the same ratio for the City
of Sydney.
Workspace Ratio by Office Space Use, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
Kings Cross City of Sydney
Office Space Use Internal Floor Area Total Employment
Workspace Ratio (m²) Workspace Ratio (m²)
Partitioned Office 16,269 998 16.3 15.8
Open Plan Office 112,900 5,110 22.1 13.1
Total 129,169 6,108 21.1 13.7
Table 10: Workspace Ratio by Office Space Use, Kings Cross Village Centre, 2007
The Office space use division includes space uses such as meeting rooms and
photocopy/fax areas, however these spaces do not typically have employees located
within them. Table 10 identifies the workspace ratios for the two most common office
space uses where employees are located, which are Partitioned Office and Open Plan
Office. This ratio is more accurate for determining the average area of office space
each employee is working in.
Although the Partitioned Office workspace ratio of 16.3m² for the Kings Cross
Village Centre is similar to that for the whole City of Sydney (15.8m²), the Open Plan
Office workspace ratio is substantially different and almost double that for the City of
Sydney. Partitioned Office space uses make up 12.6% of all Office uses containing
employees in Kings Cross, whilst Open Plan Office space uses occupy 87.4%.
Conclusion
Although the Kings Cross Village Centre area is characterised by a mix of land uses,
it is residential land uses that dominate the mix with private households accounting
for 60% of all internal floor space within the hub area. The hub has the second largest
proportion of residential floor area after Glebe Point Road and the second smallest
workforce of all the Village Centres throughout the LGA.
The presence of Garden Island, occupied by the Royal Australian Navy, ensures that
the Government industry is within the top five industries for both employment and
3
Not all Space Use Divisions included
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 13
Kings Cross Village Centre
internal floor area. Comparatively, although this proportion of employees is the
largest for the hub area, it is only the fifth highest proportion of Government
employees across the LGA.
The established nature of the Kings Cross Village Centre is evident with the low
proportions of redevelopment and vacant floor space (2.1% and 1.9% respectively).
Many of the sites within the hub are specialised and are the key attractors for the area,
such as Garden Island and the Kings Cross Entertainment Precinct. The mix of these
sites and land uses, together with a high residential population contributes to the
vibrant atmosphere of the Village Centre.
Floor Space and Employment Census Profile Report 2007 14