A new pedestrian and bike path would be built to soar above the old Glebe Island Bridge, under a proposed alternative to reopening the dilapidated structure in Sydney’s fast-growing inner west.

Amid debate about building high density housing on Glebe Island’s port facility, the concept by architect Andrew Benn suggests an elevated “land bridge” could stretch over the old swing bridge.

Benn envisaged the path would form part of an “urban island” that could also be used for events: “The whole thing’s a bit theatrical. It’s not just a thoroughfare, it’s a space in its own right.”

Pressure has been mounting on the state government to reinstate the bridge as a pedestrian and cycling link, as it forges ahead with plans to transform the largely industrial Bays West precinct around Rozelle Bay and White Bay with more residential and commercial development above a future metro station. It would be the most radical reshaping of the harbour foreshore since Barangaroo.

Residents, local politicians, and the City of Sydney and Inner West councils have for years urged authorities to restore the bridge, which opened to connect the inner west to the city in 1903. It has slipped into disrepair since it was decommissioned when the Anzac Bridge was completed in 1995.

Balmain Greens MP Kobi Shetty wants the bridge restored and reopened, so residents can avoid getting in their car or walking and cycling through traffic noise and fumes on the ANZAC Bridge.

She is urging the government to start work on the bridge after years of inaction, and has started a petition to that effect which has garnered more than 1100 signatures.

“The government needs to prioritise reopening the bridge to give people a safer walking and cycling option. This would also help lower transport costs for our community,” Shetty said.

Benn, who lives in Balmain, came up with his proposal after years of walking over the ANZAC Bridge to work in Pyrmont. He said restoring Glebe Island Bridge to working order would be prohibitively expensive and impractical, as only small boats would be able to pass underneath when it was closed.

The prospect of a ferry service to the new Sydney Fish Market would mean “larger, more frequent ferries and the old swing bridge probably opening more often than it is closed”, Benn said. He said building an elevated bridge would create a pedestrian and cycling link that did not need to open.

“It would be significantly cheaper than getting the bridge to swing open. What we’re proposing is not particularly complicated, it’s just a land bridge. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles.”

Benn likened his proposal to transform the bridge site to The High Line New York and the Promenade Plantée in Paris, where old rail lines had been transformed into elevated walkways.

“I think people have long revelled in the natural beauty of the harbour, but there’s an urban beauty to the working harbour as well. It’s absolutely fascinating,” he said.

The Glebe Society acting president Duncan Leys understood ferries to the new Fish Market could run every 20 minutes, and “closing the bridge for extended periods probably won’t work in those changed conditions. But I think it is important to restore it to working condition.”

Transport for NSW has signalled a new ferry service to the $836 million fish market – probably from Circular Quay and using First Fleet ferries or Parramatta River-class vessels – would start after the complex had opened at the head of Blackwattle Bay. The market is due to open in January.

The former Coalition government last said in 2022 that it was investigating ways to recreate the bridge’s “beloved link” for walkers and cyclists as part of its long-term vision for the Bays West precinct. However, it did not spell out specific measures or a timeline for its refurbishment.

In July, the Minns government awarded a $4.3 million contract to architecture and engineering firm Arup to provide concept and urban design services to restore and reactivate the existing bridge.

Leys said there had been multiple studies in recent years but “the whole thing gets kicked down the road, and nothing’s been done to preserve or restore the bridge to some kind of working condition”.

“There’s nothing stopping them doing the repairs now that could save the bridge from demolition by neglect,” Leys said.

Transport for NSW said it was “undertaking investigative works on and around Glebe Island Bridge as part of its long-term management and to support development of a final business case for the proposed future use of the bridge”.

The Bays West precinct has been designated as an “accelerated precinct” under the Minns government’s transport-oriented development scheme to build more homes near transport hubs.

The government last year commissioned former NSW Treasury boss Michael Schur to review whether the working ports at Glebe Island should be replaced by high density residential development. The options under review included moving the ports, retaining them with no nearby housing, or constructing a hybrid model.

Schur, who is now a consultant, this week declined to comment on his report – other than to say, “I’ve done my work to this point”. He referred questions about the review to the Cabinet Office.

Transport for NSW said the government had not yet decided on the future of the precinct.

Sydney Working Port Coalition spokesman Paul Nicolaou, who is also Business Sydney executive director, has been lobbying to retain the deep water port facility, and put forward a proposal for a hybrid model. Nicolaou said: “We’re keen to see this matter come to some kind of resolution.”

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