A new Bays West suburb for inner Sydney will take in Glebe Island, harbour port operations and 8500 new foreshore homes.
The new Bays West suburb will sit on top of a Metro station now under construction and will see current bulk port operations such as cement, gypsum and sugar handling moved from Glebe Island by 2030 to Port Kembla in the Illawarra.
The government says $270 million to be spent on improving road links to Port Kembla and is also looking at greater rail freight capacity.
Bays West will retain deep-water port facilities and the White Bay Cruise Terminal will remain where it is as new shore-power facilities are installed to reduce noise and emissions; the terminal accommodates cruise and luxury ships that can sail under the harbour bridge.
NSW Premier Chris Minns says the new suburb will include affordable and essential worker housing from day one; at least 10% of new housing is expected to be affordable.
“We understand that not everyone will welcome change but cities don’t stand still,” he says.
“If Sydney is going to remain a place young people and families can afford to live in, we have to use well-located land better and plan for the future.”
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POWER STATION IN BAYS WEST
Treasurer Daniel Mookhey says the plan will deliver new homes while retaining public ownership of the harbour site.
“By transforming underutilised industrial land into a vibrant housing and jobs precinct, we are boosting housing supply close to the CBD while strengthening the state’s long-term economic capacity,” he says.
Transport, Arts and Night Time Economy Minister John Graham says that the White Bay Power Station at the heart of Bays West will become a top cultural destination in Sydney.
“This plan strikes the right balance of building thousands of well-located homes with world-class transport while maintaining a functioning working harbour,” he says.
“With the metro, ferries, walking and cycling; this will be one of the best-connected communities anywhere in Australia.”
Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper says it is “exactly the kind of development Sydney needs”.
“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future,” he says.
Housing and Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson says they want nurses, teachers, hospitality workers and young families to be able to afford a life in Sydney.
“That’s why affordable and essential worker housing will be built into this precinct from the beginning, not treated as an afterthought.”
WHAT’S BEING PLANNED?
There will be public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years.
White Bay Power Station will be connected to the harbour by a new public forecourt.
Planning to prioritise transport and access including links to neighbouring suburbs like Rozelle, Balmain and Glebe, better pedestrian access to the waterfront and links to the CBD including across the Glebe Island Bridge.
A government-led master planning process will include an international design competition for the suburb, whose development will be overseen by a new agency reporting to Kamper who already has oversight of other major projects such as the Blackwattle Bay redevelopment and Barangaroo.
Harbour operations will be consolidated largely into White Bay such as boat maintenance, marine construction and a base for tug boats and emergency services.
A new staging area will be established in the bay for New Year’s Eve fireworks, Vivid festival and other major events.
The Sydney Heritage Fleet will also be offered new premises in the bay.
Deep-water berths will be retained while 1970s industrial silos, currently used as a billboard and storage for cement and sugar, will be demolished.
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