by Asa Wahlquist, Bays and Foreshores Convenor, from Bulletin 7/2022, September 2022

A park at Bank St – under the Anzac Bridge?? (source: Blackwattle Bay State Significant Precinct, Response to Submissions Overview, July 2022)

The Blackwattle Bay Plan has been revised1 after more than 2,000 objections to the first plan were lodged. While there are some improvements – the 45-storey building has been lowered to 35 storeys, the density has been decreased by 15 per cent and the waterfront walk has been widened to 30 metres – the site is still massively overdeveloped. The proposed towers would overshadow the foreshore walk, creating wind tunnels and depriving the proposed parks of much needed sun.

We note that about half the proposed site is currently privately owned and understand that the owners are reluctant to sell. We question what this will mean for those occupying the redeveloped site: living next to a concrete batching plant and next to the Western Distributor would be noisy and the air polluted.

The revised plan would still overshadow Glebe in the early morning. The buildings would tower over the Bay, destroying its natural amenity, and bring increased traffic pressure to our roads that will also have to cope with unacceptable increases in traffic and parking from the new Sydney Fish Markets.

Note: 1. Revised plan: https://insw.com/media/3592/bays016-blackwattle-bay-state-significant-precinct-2022_digital_fa.pdf