Lesley Lynch, Convenor, Bays and Foreshores, from Bulletin 7/2019 (September)
Fish Market saga
The last 12 months have been dominated by issues relating to the planned relocation of the Sydney Fish Market and the future use of the current site. It has been a frustrating year in that, whatever the Government is planning, little has been shared with the community.
Having made a unilateral decision to relocate the new Fish Market (FM) to the head of Blackwattle Bay the Government released its grand design for the new building and surrounds in late 2018. I did an initial analysis of this concluding that it seemed a smart design by the Dutch architects responding to the constraints and opportunities of the site – but that the site remained a terrible choice (Bulletin 9/2018).
The problems with the site include the logistical and technical difficulties of construction over and under the waters of the Bay and resulting high-build cost, exacerbation of congestion from trucks, cars and buses on and around Bridge Rd (based on a planned six million annual visitors to FM) lack of parking, impact on Blackwattle Senior College, unresolved issues about disturbance of toxic pollutants on the Bay floor and width constraints that make the foreshore promenade inadequate for the mix of pedestrians and commuter and recreation cyclists. Building the FM at the head of the Bay breaches an important principle of opening heads of Sydney Harbour bays to the public and deprives the community of the long anticipated opening up of the view of Blackwattle Bay from Wentworth Park.
The unexplained relocation decision by the Government raises the fundamental question as to whether this is in the public interest. On the basis of the little information available, the Glebe Society is highly sceptical. It is now said that it was necessary to permit the FM to continue trading during the construction period. We note that could have been accommodated on the very large current site. The strong indicators are that the decision was driven by the desire for developers to have access to as much as possible of the current publicly owned site.
A formal DA is needed to provide accurate detail on the released design. This was ready for release in November 2018 but has not yet appeared – no explanation has been given.
In March 2019, the Glebe Society decided to take the initiative in the context of the NSW election and lobby for a rethink of the location of the new FM and push for a firm commitment that a significant proportion of any residential development (30-50%) on the old site be allocated to affordable and social housing. NSW has a recognised crisis in the lack of such housing – particularly in the inner city. The publicly-owned FM site provides Government with an excellent opportunity to provide affordable accommodation to compensate for that which they have removed from the inner city. Candidates were lobbied on this.
Like others, we anticipated a change of Government and were pleased that the Opposition improved its affordable housing policy with a strong target for residential development on publicly-owned land. We also considered it possible that they would be open to rethinking the location of the new FM.
Post-election: It is not likely that the Berejiklian Government will reverse its relocation decision. With the breaking up of Urban Growth NSW in 2018, there is currently no consultation mechanism on the FM or the overall Bays Precinct with Government. Even when the DA does appear, we will be responding to a development application emanating from a government agency (Infrastructure NSW) which will be subject to approval by the Planning Minister. Not a lot of room here for an independent response to community objections.
The FM sites (new and old) are part of a declared ‘State Significant’ site and so all decisions are at the discretion of the Minister. The City of Sydney Council – which opposed the relocation – therefore has no authority. In such a context, we either campaign directly – as well as responding to the DA when we are eventually invited to do so – or give up. The mood at the 50th anniversary celebrations was not for giving up.
TGSI campaign. The Glebe Society has therefore recently determined (June 2019 meeting) to mount a campaign opposing the relocation of the FM and the opportunity to provide a significant boost to inner city affordable and social housing as part of any residential development of the current site – without waiting for the missing DA. Details of this will be publicised soon.
Government agenda. The Government moved quickly after the election and signed an agreement with the FM management to relinquish their lease on the current FM site which ran until 2044 in return for the future right to an extended lease on the new building. The new lease will extend beyond 2044 by three 10 year options for renewal – this will guarantee an effective 50 year lease to 2074. This was clearly a preemptive move by Government to forestall any opposition. My understanding is that this agreement has a life of 12 months. The ongoing delay in the releasing of the DA has therefore been puzzling.
We either campaign directly – as well as responding to the DA when we are eventually invited to do so – or give up. The mood at the 50th anniversary celebrations was not for giving up.
It now appears that the reason may be related to the Government budget situation and lack of certainty about the pending sale (or 99-year lease) to developers of the current site which is needed to generate funds for the expensive build on the new FM. This could just signal an emerging problem which might give the community some space to exercise influence.
Trial on-demand ferry. A trial for an on-demand ferry stopping at Barangaroo (the hub), Fish Market, Blackwattle Bay and Pirrama Park is scheduled for late-September as a joint venture between Transdev and Government Transport. The ferry will accommodate 60 persons. There is disappointment from Annandale residents that Rozelle Bay is not included. More details soon.
Key activity this year
- A number of articles in the Bulletin updating members on developments re the FM and the Bays Precinct more generally.
- Meeting with Barry Mann, CEO Urban Growth and Fred Holt 3XN architects on 30 November 2018. An opportunity for the ex-Community Consultation Group to discuss the FM design with the architect. It was envisaged the DA would be available within the week and construction commence mid-2019.
- Bays Precinct Community Meeting 30 May 2019. Attended the third meeting with City of Sydney and Inner West Councillors, MPs Jamie Parker and Alex Greenwich and community representatives from Glebe, Pyrmont, Rozelle and Annandale. Discussion on possible campaign strategies and contributions from MPs and Councillors as well as community groups. This group will meet again when either the FM DA or the overall Masterplan is released.
- Meetings with the Fish Market Management: Attended three meetings with the Manager of the FM and other community representatives to discuss the relocation and related issue. This useful forum was initiated by the FM management and facilitated by John Faulkner. The FM is very keen for the relocation to proceed and is currently worried about the delay in releasing the DA.
[Editor’s Note: The Fish Market is the current key issue for the Bays and Foreshores Subcommittee. If you would like to be involved in the campaign, you should contact bays@glebesociety.org.au.]
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