Sydney’s newest suburb in walking distance to the CBD
The bulk of operations at Sydney Harbour’s last working harbor will be scrapped to make way for up to 8,500 homes being built around a metro train station in a dramatic reshaping of the city’s waterfront that will provide public access to the waterfront for the first time in a century.
In the Bays West area near Rozelle, Sydney’s newest suburb will be connected to the CBD by a metro line and ferry services, as well as the long-awaited upgrade of the Glebe Island Bridge for a cycle and pedestrian path as part of the transformation of underutilized state-owned harbor land.
Deep-sea port facilities will be retained for marine construction and as a base for tugboats and emergency services, and the White Bay cruise terminal will continue in its current location, but bulk port operations, including cement, gypsum and sugar handling, will cease on Glebe Island by 2030.
The government says it will lead a master planning process, including an international design competition, to drive development in the area, ensuring a mix of homes, basic infrastructure, jobs, public spaces and transport links.
It will be run by a new delivery agency set up in the coming weeks, which will report to Land and Property Minister Steve Kamper, who oversees major area regeneration projects including Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.
Once established, publicly owned land in the area will be transferred to the new authority, which will mirror the now defunct Barangaroo Delivery Authority. The land will remain in public hands, but developers will be able to tender for long-term leases to deliver housing.
Under the model, the government would mandate that at least 10 percent of housing be dedicated to affordable and essential worker housing, providing public access to the beach for the first time in more than 100 years.
Night entertainment and creative industries will use the historic White Bay Power Station as a cultural and social destination, connected to the harbor via a large new public forecourt.
Deepwater docks will be maintained to maintain Sydney Harbour’s “strategic operational capability”; Existing industrial silos from the 1970s, currently used as billboards and to store cement and sugar, will be removed to unlock new opportunities for public space and housing.
A new stage area will also be installed in White Bay to secure the future of New Year’s fireworks, Vivid and other major events.
The Bays West area has been designated as an “accelerated zone” under the Minns government’s transport-focused development plan to build more homes near transport hubs.
The metro station is planned to open in 2032.
Government in 2024 Appointed former NSW Treasury boss Michael Schur to review Whether working docks on Glebe Island will be replaced with high-density housing. Options examined included moving the ports, maintaining them without housing nearby, or creating a hybrid model.
The Sydney Working Port Coalition has been lobbying for months to protect the deepwater port facility. He put forward a hybrid model proposal.
The alliance said the port was critical to the city’s construction supply chain and scrapping the port would increase construction and housing costs.
In an open letter to Premier Chris Minns in 2024, the group called on the state government to find a solution that balances the need to increase housing with preserving Sydney’s industrial capacity.
“Any plans to convert Glebe Island solely into luxury, high-end apartments are not the solution,” the letter said.
“This will result in a millionaires’ harborside enclave, while jeopardizing billions of dollars of economic contribution and thousands of jobs in NSW.”
Port coalition spokesman Paul Nicolaou, who is also Business Sydney executive director, said in November the group “wants to see some sort of resolution to this issue”.
Minns said the Bays West area would offer “thousands of homes where people really need them – close to work, close to services and close to transport”.
“More importantly, this district will include affordable and essential worker housing from day one, so nurses, teachers, paramedics and police can live closer to the communities they serve,” Minns said.
“We know not everyone welcomes change, but cities don’t stand still. If Sydney is to remain a place for young people and families to live, we need to make better use of well-located land and plan for the future.”
The government has announced it will spend $270 million to improve road links around Port Kembla and explore increased rail freight capacity to cope with extra movements once Glebe Island is no longer operational.
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