Sydney’s newest inner-city suburb is moving a step closer, with the NSW Government establishing a dedicated authority to oversee the redevelopment of the Bays West and Blackwattle Bay precincts.
The new Bays West Delivery Authority will lead the transformation of the 77-hectare harbourfront site, which spans White Bay, Glebe Island, Rozelle Bay, Rozelle Parklands and Blackwattle Bay, into a new residential and mixed-use precinct just two kilometres from the CBD.
The project is expected to deliver up to 8,500 homes, with at least 10% set aside for affordable and essential worker housing. The government says the development will also help open up parts of the harbour foreshore that have been largely inaccessible for more than a century.
A new name on the way
Sydneysiders will also help rename the precinct, with “Bays West” serving as a working title rather than a permanent suburb name. Public consultation will begin in the coming weeks, although the NSW Government will make the final decision instead of putting the name to a public vote.
Planning is also advancing on an international design competition, which will open in July and seek to shape the “look and feel” of the new suburb. Instead of focusing on individual buildings, entrants will create an urban framework that covers the streetscape, public realm, plaza spaces and waterfront edges.
The plan will reserve at least 25% of the precinct for public open space, including a 1.8-hectare waterfront park and a civic plaza around the White Bay Power Station, which will become a cultural focal point for the area.
New transport-led redevelopment
Public transport will anchor the precinct, with a new ferry terminal and Metro West expected to carry most trips in and out of the site. The authority expects private car use to remain limited, forecasting that cars will account for just 4% of journeys.
The redevelopment will also reopen the Glebe Island Bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, while planners phase out existing industrial uses on the site to make way for housing and public space.
Authorities expect to move dry bulk imports, including cement, to Port Kembla by the end of 2030, clearing the way for the demolition of the Glebe Island silos.
The authority, which sits within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will also oversee an unsolicited proposal from Lendlease for part of the precinct, with the company’s plan for up to 3,000 homes in Rozelle Bay currently under assessment.
The NSW Government says it will deliver the project carefully to avoid the planning and legal disputes that have affected other major redevelopment sites, including Barangaroo.
