Blackwattle Bay plan a Trojan horse for developer profit, Clover Moore says

The new vision for Blackwattle Bay that includes 1550 new dwellings and a foreshore promenade for the Sydney Fish Markets has been unveiled.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s worst nightmare is going on public exhibition for the first time today.

The new vision for Blackwattle Bay that includes 1550 new dwellings and buildings ranging from four storeys to 45 storeys is being unveiled by Infrastructure NSW.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes said the plans for the existing Sydney Fish Market site will revitalise Pyrmont and open it up as western gateway to the CBD. The development will also create 5600 jobs.

“Sydney Fish Market has been home to world-class seafood for decades but it’s time to give this much-loved location a makeover for the Sydney community and visitors,” Mr Stokes said.

The new vision for Blackwattle Bay that includes 1550 new dwellings and buildings ranging from four storeys to 45 storeys.

“Our vision for Blackwattle Bay would see new public open space equivalent to one and a half football fields and a foreshore promenade that will complete the 15-kilometre continuous harbourside walk from Woolloomooloo to Rozelle Bay.”

But the Lord Mayor slammed the plans as a “Trojan Horse for large apartment towers designed not with people in mind, but maximum developer profits”.

She said the development had put “the cart before the horse” and is “a proposal driven by development and profit, with proper planning and community needs cast aside”.

“Our priority is to create green, liveable places while protecting what we love about Pyrmont and surrounding area,” Ms Moore said.

The plans for the existing Sydney Fish Market site will revitalise Pyrmont and open it up as western gateway to the CBD.

Urban Taskforce chief executive Tom Forrest said: “This may be Clover’s worst nightmare but it is a great step forward for Sydney.”

The new Sydney Fish Market has been approved for the head of Blackwattle Bay and is expected to be built in mid 2024, leaving the current site ready to be developed.

The plans to redevelop the site include buildings up to 45 storeys that are designed to respect local landmarks and maintain sunlight to parks and open space.

The plan would see new public open space and a foreshore promenade.

Ehssan Veiszadeh, Deputy chief executive of the Committee for Sydney said: “If we want to make Sydney the best city in the world, we need to show ambition around building the new homes, tourism infrastructure and commercial space our city desperately needs.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to add to and open up Sydney’s incredible harbour foreshore walk from Woolloomooloo Bay to Bicentennial Park in Glebe, and ultimately to White Bay in Rozelle with the Bays West precinct.

“Done right, this project can breathe new life into a crucial CBD site, delivering a major visitor destination and a fine new fish market, with much needed residential apartments, public space and parkland,” he said.