Berrys Bay marina lease scrapped under plans to make site tunnel project construction zone
BERRYS Bay will be returned to the community after a decision by the State Government to terminate the controversial marina lease on the Waverton landmark.
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BERRYS Bay will be returned to the community after a decision by the State Government to terminate the controversial marina lease on the Waverton landmark.
Following a long-running campaign by locals to knock back plans for a superyacht marina at Berrys Bay, the lease on the site has been ripped up — and the bay will now form a key part of the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project.
In May, a proposal to transform the bay into a $20 million marina capable of taking yachts up to 45m long was knocked back by the Joint Regional Planning Panel.
State Liberal MP for the North Shore Felicity Wilson acknowledged the looming threat of overdevelopment which has plagued Berrys Bay but said the Western Harbour Tunnel project, “opens up the opportunity for us to invest in public open space and public facilities following construction”.
Ms Wilson gave a commitment that it would be returned to the community for open space and amenities once construction is completed.
“Our local community will be the driving force behind the future use of Berrys Bay — with suggestions already made including open parks, boardwalks, cafes, and small marina facilities,” Ms Wilson said.
Last month, detailed designs of the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project were released for community consultation. Early work on the project is expected to start later this year, with major construction due to begin in 2020 and tunnels expected to open to traffic by 2026.
Former North Sydney mayor Genia McCaffery welcomed the decision to terminate the lease but said she was wary of promises to return the bay to the community, as full details of how the site would be used for the tunnel project were still forthcoming.
“I certainly wait in trepidation for what we’re going to (experience),” Ms McCaffery said. “From what all of us read about WestConnex in the inner west and what residents have suffered in St Peters and Haberfield, it doesn’t make you feel awfully confident.
“Depending on how many years we’re talking about, we don’t know what’s being proposed yet. This site is surrounded by hard fought for, public open space. We don’t know yet what kind of impact having an industrial site — which essentially is what will happen there — is going to have on the residents and the public, the hundreds and hundreds of people that use this open space every day.”