‘Supertall’ towers soaring past 300 metres could redraw Sydney’s skyline

Two buildings soaring higher than 300 metres are destined to dramatically transform Sydney’s skyline under plans to boost the number and height of towers in the central business district.

The City of Sydney council in June endorsed changes to its planning rules that will allow for the construction of developer Dexus’ massive $3.1 billion tower complex reaching 305 metres, or 70 storeys, at the corner of Pitt and Bridge streets at the northern end of the city near Circular Quay.

The City of Sydney endorsed changes to its planning rules to allow for the “supertall” skyscraper at the corner of Pitt and Bridge streets.

A separate proposal for a 71-storey tower topping 319 metres, which Lendlease wants to build on an adjacent site at O’Connell Street, is expected to go on public exhibition in coming weeks.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the approved Pitt Street building would provide more office space in the northern CBD, which is favoured by financial, legal, property and tech businesses.

“If we want Sydney to maintain its status as a global city and economic powerhouse, it’s vital that we safeguard economic floor space whilst allowing residential development to continue in the city centre,” Moore said.

The council smoothed the path for larger skyscrapers in new “tower clusters” to emerge around Haymarket, the northern end of the CBD near Circular Quay, and to the west near Barangaroo in 2016, when it adopted the Central Sydney Planning Strategy to guide development for two decades.

The council updated its planning strategy in 2016 to boost development in the CBD.

The strategy, which took three years to develop and was the most detailed planning review of the CBD in more than four decades, enabled buildings taller than 300 metres, up from the previous 235-metre limit, in some spots and opened the city to billions of dollars of commercial development.

Once constructed, the 300-metre-plus towers would surpass the city’s current tallest building, Crown Sydney at Barangaroo, which stands at 271 metres. They would also be around the same height as city’s tallest freestanding structure, the 309-metre Sydney Tower, formerly known as Centrepoint Tower.

The Pitt Street project includes a public plaza fronting Bridge Street and a pedestrian link connecting Pitt Street to Spring and Gresham streets.

Council documents stated several negative submissions raised concerns the “supertall” tower would “negatively impact the existing built form and streetscape character of the area due to its imposing nature”, and “without careful controls and high-quality design, the development may diminish the character of one of Sydney’s most historic streets”.

Moore said the planning strategy was intended to balance vertical growth with ensuring buildings did not overshadow public spaces such as Hyde Park, Wynyard Park and the Royal Botanic Garden.

“We can build tall towers in the city, we can see our skyline rise with iconic, sustainable buildings when we follow deep, evidence-based work that considers the current and future needs of our city.”

The state government last year approved concept plans for two towers of 51 and 58 storeys above the nearby entrances to the underground Hunter Street station for the future Metro West line between the CBD and Parramatta.

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