Community fears kept at bay

Sydney Ports Corporation has quelled community fears over the leasing of Glebe Island.

The state owned corporation has confirmed the leasing of Glebe Island will not affect long term plans for the Bays Precinct area.

“Sydney Ports is committed to retaining Glebe Island, one of Sydney Harbour’s few remaining deepwater berths, as part of the long term
working harbour,” wrote Sydney Ports CEO Grant Gilfillan in a letter to City News.

“We recently advertised for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in 12 hectares of land at Glebe Island for port and maritime related uses up to the end of 2020.

“This is consistent with other leases in the adjacent dry bulk storage areas and consistent with the current Bays Precinct planning process,” Mr Gilfillan wrote.

“It is important to note that this process will not affect the future Bays Precinct planning work or the potential long-term use of the Glebe Island and White Bay Port Precinct beyond the year 2020.”

The response comes after locals were outraged Sydney Ports decided to lease the island without community consultation.

The Bays Alliance, a coalition of community groups, has written to Premier Barry O’Farrell and Ports Minister Duncan Gay pleading for the Government to “stop piecemeal planning decisions in the Bays Precinct.”

The Bays Alliance has urged the Premier to ensure the leasing of Glebe Island would “not exceed the termination dates of those for the Bailey’s Fuel Depot or Hanson’s batch plants,” which lay adjacent to the island.

“We’re not opposed to the Government making money off [Glebe Island],” said convenor of the Blackwattle Cove Coalition and member of the
Bays Alliance, John Brooks.

“We understand it’s a valuable piece of land.

“We just didn’t want a lease to be of such a long term nature that it locks out the particular piece of land and strategy of where we want to go in the future.”

A Sydney Ports spokesperson has confirmed the leasing for Glebe Island and the Bailey’s Fuel Depot will terminate at the end of 2020.

Meanwhile, a representative from Hanson’s concrete batching plant has also confirmed their lease would end before 2020.

Sydney Ports is now in the process of evaluating submissions for the leasing of Glebe Island and “will inform the Glebe Island/White Bay Community Liaison Group with the outcomes of the recent process at their next meeting,” Mr Gilfillan wrote.

Mr Brooks said the Bays Alliance “had no real problem” if the lease did not run past 2020.

“Our concern was this came out of the blue,” he said.

“We’re just making sure that nothing gets in the way of being able to develop a proper strategy.”