Some tents to stay at Martin Place

The self-proclaimed mayor of Martin Place Lanz Priestley has told 9News some of the tents at Martin Place will remain despite most of the homeless packing up this morning.

"We're leaving some tents up, and we'll see what plays out through the day, I'll be speaking to media more at 1pm," he said.

The start of the pack up comes more than six months after the homeless residents set up camp outside the Reserve Bank Building.

It also comes just days after Premier Gladys Berijiklian pushed new laws through parliament empowering police to tear down tents from Crown land.

Mr Priestley said police had requested the rough sleepers to start packing up yesterday.

"We've seen all the media hype and rhetoric, we've watched in amusement as the Berijiklian government has gone through its options of 'we might do this and we might do that' and then brought in the most draconian laws the state has ever see, in order to get rid of us."

One of the homeless men packing up told 9News he was happy to move out but was going back to living on the street.

"Too many people complaining, a lot of people supporting us, we're happy to move out," he said.

"i've met a lot of good people, very friendly, helping us, giving us donation. I don't know if I want to stay here. This is not me, I want a better life."

Introducing her new law earlier this week, Premier Gladys Berijiklian said she would not let protesters play political games "with those in genuine need of support.

“The NSW Government is putting an end to council’s refusal to act and will strengthen laws to ensure it does not happen again.”

The bill will empower NSW Police to remove people or goods from Martin Place, and other public reserves in the City of Sydney by proclamation, where there are unacceptable impacts on the public.