Image: Bank Street Foreshore Park, Great Idea 2015. Image: pyrmonthistory.net.au
by GRACE JOHNSON
As part of the government’s scheme to reimagine Sydney Fish Market and the surrounding Bays Precinct, waterfront design plans have been unveiled for Bank Street Park.
Located in Pyrmont, the park will use land previously unaccessible to the community for decades to create a waterfront park with a backdrop of the ANZAC Bridge.
Minister for Lands and Property Steven Kamper said he was proud to reveal the design of Bank Street Park, which “involved close collaboration with First Nations representatives, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, and Black Diggers, which is of special significance given its connection to the ANZAC Bridge.”
“Bank Street Park will be the first piece in the wider development of Blackwattle Bay, which will see the current Fish Market site transformed into new homes, retail and public space,” he continued.
The plans include a new cycleway, walkways to and from the area, and new and improved access to Blackwattle Bay for recreational water activities, like kayaking and paddle boarding.
There will also be a foreshore promenade, completing the 15km continuous harbourside walk between Woolloomooloo and Rozelle Bay.
The harbourfront walkway is expected to be one of Australia’s longest, making the area more attractive to tourists.
The new park was designed by landscape architect OCULUS with Collins + Turner, Greenshoot Consulting and Greenaway Architects. Other features of the design include a multipurpose court, playground, fitness centre, an area to hold community spaces like a café, public art, and adaptive reuse of buildings along Bank Street.
Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich said, “Once complete, Bank Street Park will ensure Sydney Harbour is more accessible for leisure activities, including private paddle craft, walking and cycling. The community will be able to kayak or paddleboard right up to the park, where they can enjoy a coffee from the café and walk along the foreshore before visiting the new Sydney Fish Market.”
The new Sydney Fish Market was approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces in June 2020, with the proposal for construction and operation works approved in June 2022.
Set to open in 2024, the new Sydney Fish Market will be located at the head of Blackwattle Bay on Bridge Road, Glebe, within Blackwattle Bay.
