Pyrmont poised for more changes under NSW Government plans

By TOKS OGUNDARE

The NSW Government is exhibiting draft master plans for the Pyrmont peninsula to set out how the area could develop over the next 20 years.

The draft follows on from the release of the final Place Strategy in December 2020, which cleared the path for the controversial 110-metre Star Casino tower. It includes proposed plans for a new six-star hotel at The Star, UTS Indigenous Residential College, and the two sites for the new Sydney Metro station at Pyrmont.

The plans will affect seven ‘sub-precincts’ in the peninsula, identified as Darling Island, Blackwattle Bay, Tumbalong Park, Ultimo, Pirrama, Pyrmont Village and Wentworth Park.

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) is also exhibiting proposed planning controls that will set building height and floor space ratios for development. The draft plans will be exhibited for public comment until 4 February 2022.

Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich criticised the timing, given the “end of year closures and holiday period, and the massive impacts on existing communities”. The Pyrmont peninsula is currently home to about 20,000 residents and 40,000 workers.

The DPIE held a community information session on 15 December, where residents raised several concerns. The inclusion of Ultimo’s Powerhouse Museum as an area deemed “capable of change” sparked fears that the heritage-listed site could be subject to demolition in the future.

Further sessions will be held in January, with members of the public invited to submit feedback until the February deadline.

The DPIE expects to finalise the plans by the middle of next year.