Barangaroo foreshore development plans stall despite new Metro opening

A prime development site in the heart of Sydney remains a concrete wasteland despite developers slashing 37 metres off a ten-storey tower and the impending opening of its multimillion-dollar Metro station.

The government has been urged to take rapid action to sweep aside NIMBY resistance and complete the final piece of the Barangaroo “puzzle”, with plans yet to be locked in for the last undeveloped site on the iconic foreshore despite its new Metro station set to open within a week.

Despite the impending opening of the $417 million Barangaroo Metro station scheduled for August 4, plans for what structure will be built above the facility remain bogged down in red tape.

The NSW Government’s development arm Infrastructure NSW, in partnership with developers Aqualand, have most recently lodged cut down proposals which included slashing 37 metres being slashed from one ten-storey tower, while other structures proposed for the site have had up to 10 metres cut from them in order to protect views of ‘HolMillers Point residents.

It’s understood planners have drawn a line on the sand on any further reductions in height or size, with any more cuts putting the viability of the project in doubt.

Barrangaroo Metro Train station under construction, where the Central Barangaroo development will be built above.

Urban Taskforce CEO Tom Forrest said it “reflects poorly on all governments and agencies involved that we have a Metro about to open … and Central Barangaroo above the Metro not much more than a hole in the ground”.

“The government needs to decide whether or not they really believe housing and employment are their top priorities,” he said.

“The longer we delay decision-making, so we can consider every NIMBY objection, the longer we’ll remain in a housing crisis.”

The area yet to be developed.

Planning Minister Paul Scully. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Property Council NSW executive director CEO Katie Stevenson added the opening of the Metro put an added pressure on the government to finalise a plan for the site.

“The opening of the Metro makes it even more important and urgent that this development in the precinct is realised and it can fulfil its full potential,” she said.

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) is carrying out a detailed assessment of the proposal, and the feedback on it, before presenting a recommendation to Planning Minister Paul Scully – who is the ultimate decision maker on the project.

The latest designs for Central Barangaroo, which are set to be released for public feedback. Picture: Supplied

It comes as pressure mounts even from within government for a resolution, with Infrastructure NSW chief executive Tom Gellibrand saying: “Central Barangaroo is the last piece in the puzzle in the development of Barangaroo and will complete the transformation of a once neglected and inaccessible part of the city into a dynamic cultural, residential, and retail hub”.

The latest plans for the precinct, which is currently a building lot nestled next to Crown Sydney, include 140 homes, 200 hotel rooms, 50 retail shops and more than 30,000 square metres of public open space.

Artist impression of the proposal. Picture: Supplied

They’ve been faced with continued opposition, with Nine newspapers earlier this month reporting a local residents’ action group was among those who have lodged a complaint with the NSW Ombudsman claiming the latest plans were misleadingly large.

Lands and Property Minister Steven Kamper threw his support behind the latest designs, with a decision needed after 17 years of planning.

“Central Barangaroo has been in planning for 17 years ... The designs have been amended and we believe they reflect a fair balance between the community and the city’s needs,” a spokesman for Mr Kamper said.

“At the end of the day, this is a city-based location, located next a business district that houses thousands of workers each day and is next door to the multibillion-dollar metro. We need it to be more than a vacant lot.”
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Originally published as Barangaroo foreshore development plans stall despite new Metro opening