By Megan Gorrey
Construction on the controversial final section of the Barangaroo foreshore is expected to start this year after plans for the $2 billion-plus project were approved following more than two decades in limbo.
The NSW government has ticked off on the most recent plans from its development partner, Aqualand, to build seven blocks of up to 10 storeys at Central Barangaroo, creating a mixed-use precinct of 150 luxury apartments, a hotel, shops, offices and eateries above the metro station.
The government has approved the revised “Mod 9” concept proposal for Central Barangaroo.Credit: NSW government
But Sydneysiders will have to wait at least another five years to enjoy the precinct, the first stage of which is not due for completion until 2030.
Infrastructure NSW chief executive Tom Gellibrand said the approval of the concept plans for the centre of Barangaroo meant the “final piece of the puzzle can proceed”.
“Barangaroo is one of Sydney’s most significant renewal projects in decades, transforming a once-neglected and inaccessible part of the city into a dynamic cultural, residential, business and retail hub.”
The 5.2-hectare Central Barangaroo precinct has for years been dogged by delays, changing proposals, a high-stakes Supreme Court battle over harbour views, and public backlash over building heights that cast doubt over the final shape of the development.
The Minns government had been under pressure to finalise plans months after the underground station on its $21.6 billion metro train line opened in August.
The government said the decision to approve the revised proposal, dubbed “Mod 9”, meant Aqualand could start detailed design work, which will include community consultation, for the site.
A previous proposal for a 21-storey tower at the northern end of the site was dumped after The National Trust, Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, the City of Sydney, and Millers Point residents objected to the proposal, which they argued would destroy views of Observatory Hill and Millers Point.
The government said the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure had “carefully assessed” the impacts of the most recent proposal on historic views, particularly between Observatory Hill and Sydney Harbour.
Construction was supposed to start last year. The site is currently being used for a pickleball court.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Under the consent conditions, the northern edge of the building that will face Nawi Cove has been reduced from eight storeys to five to preserve some views to and from Observatory Hill.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully, who decided the proposal, said it “considers Barangaroo’s prominent position and is respectful of the contribution of the area to Sydney’s development and future”.
A 1.85-hectare foreshore park will make up half of the Central Barangaroo site, which was intended to bridge the headland park and the commercial district at Barangaroo South.
Aqualand said the precinct would include 50 retailers, civic spaces and laneways, including a 270-metre-long boulevard running linking Hickson Park and Nawi Cove.
The company’s managing director Jin Lin said it was committed to creating a world-class development to complement Barangaroo South and the headland reserve.
“We know how important Barangaroo is to all of Sydney, and we are honoured to partner with the NSW government to deliver this critical and final piece of the city’s largest urban renewal project.”
Aqualand’s development group head Ian Devereux said the company had worked with interested parties on the plans for eight years and intended to design and deliver an “exceptional” outcome.
“This approval sets in process the completion of Barangaroo more than 20 years after the shipping facilities were removed.”
Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said the redevelopment was “a great win for Sydney”, and Barangaroo’s metro station would “no longer sit on the edge of a vacant field”.
But Linda Bergin, a long-time advocate for Sydney Harbour’s public parklands, said the concept plans were “as exceedingly bad as before” and a “catastrophe” that should be stopped.
“The token three-storey [building height] reduction on a small part of the northern end does almost nothing to ameliorate its devastating impacts, which will ruin views from old colonial Sydney. In a double whammy, Sydney is losing valuable public open space, not a ‘vacant field’ or a ‘concrete slab’.”
Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper said: “With the Barangaroo metro station now open, the Pier Pavilion and the Cutaway nearing completion, Barangaroo Reserve, Marrinawi and Nawi Cove open, it will be fantastic to see the full vision for Barangaroo finally realised for locals and visitors to enjoy.”
The mega-project to redevelop the former industrial waterfront was flagged in 2003. Central Barangaroo was intended as a mid-rise precinct, but the Baird government in 2015 said it would allow larger buildings at the site to help pay for a new underground metro station.
The announcement sparked a protracted Supreme Court battle with Crown and Lendlease over views from their developments at Barangaroo South. In 2019, the companies reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with the NSW government, saying the deal meant there would be clear views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from their buildings.
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