Bays Taskforce Report – Strategic Planning Principles

The Strategic Planning Principles are as follows:

Principle – Public interest and future proofing

1. Recognise and protect the Bays Precinct as a public resource by ensuring planning and development promote the social and economic welfare of the community.

2. Retain the publicly owned lands in public ownership to ensure long-term flexibility in the use the Bays Precinct assets.

Principle - Waterway

1. Recognise, protect, enhance and maintain the waterways as an outstanding natural asset of Sydney and a focal point of the public domain of the Bays Precinct.

2. Maintain deep water berths for commercial port, shipping and maritime uses and operations to meet existing and future demands for Sydney and NSW.

3. Preserve and manage use of the waterways for active and passive recreational boating users.

Principle – Land Use

1. Encourage new development that:

  • balance regional and local economic, social, recreational and environmental needs;
  • provide a distinctiveness and character consistent with the Bays Precinct’s Sydney harbour location and that reflects the Precinct’s history;
  • activate the foreshores day and night; and
  • are dependent upon foreshore location and access to waterway.

2. Commercial port and maritime uses operate in a way that recognises their location in a city environment and mitigates impacts on the amenity of existing residents and businesses in the adjoining communities.

3. Ensure non-working harbour uses are compatible with ongoing working harbour functions and do not alienate the foreshores from public ownership and active use.

4. Residential development is not a priority within the Precinct and must be carefully considered in terms of its impact on the long-term flexibility of port and maritime operations.

5. Ensure any new residential development provided as part of urban renewal is diverse in type, providing for both market and affordable rental housing.

Principle – Economic Sustainability

1. Encourage new development that contributes to maintaining and enhancing Sydney as a Global City by providing for economic growth, economic productivity, job opportunities and tourism.

2. Provide for commercial port and maritime uses within the Bays Precinct to ensure prosperous working harbour.

Principle – Traffic and Transport

1. Ensure consideration is given to transport impacts and how they can be managed in assessing new major activities or developments.

  • Integrate traffic, transport and access as part of any future development and land use considerations focusing on:
    • promoting public transport usage including opportunities for new public transport including ferries, light rail and car share;
    • enhancing pedestrian and cycle networks linking key activity areas with transport over the broader region;
    • catering for demand and ensuring that traffic impacts on surrounding residential streets and intersections are appropriately managed; and
    • considering access for disabled persons in new transport initiatives on the site.

2. Provide efficient transport and access solutions to support future port uses including the segregation of port traffic from residential areas. This includes consideration for a new port access road from City West Link Road directly to the Glebe Island and White Bay port area..

Principle – Public Domain, Open Space and Foreshores

1. Maintain and extend public access to and along the foreshore, including access to open space corridors for pedestrian and cyclists except where health and safety, security, regulatory provisions and public liability restrict access.

2. Public access within the Precinct be linked with public transport and existing public access points in the surrounding precincts.

3. Encourage addition of high quality public domain, open space and a range of recreational opportunities for both local community and visitors.

4. Restore the heads of bays for public use as opportunity arises.

Principle – Built Form and Design

1. Ensure development reflects the industrial and maritime nature of the built form of the Precinct and manifests design excellence by

  • developing/redeveloping at a compatible scale at interfaces with adjacent existing neighbourhoods;
  • ensuring bulk, scale and location of buildings considers local views into, over, through and from within the Precinct, and conserves and where possible extends significant views; and
  • developing diverse architectural responses, with buildings having a diverse design, fine grain pattern, with active frontages and articulated elevations.

2. implementing principles of ‘view sharing’ where relevant.

3. Ensure new development within the port and maritime precincts recognises the foreshore location and city environment in which is located, in terms of built form and design.

4. Ensure new buildings are appropriately setback from the waterfront.

Principle – Heritage

1. Recognise the significance of the Bays Precinct as part of Sydney’s maritime, port and industrial history.

2. Conserve, interpret and adaptively re-use existing and potential key heritage items.

Principle – Community and Culture

1. Encourage a culturally rich and vibrant Precinct for the benefit of the local and regional communities.

2. Integrate appropriate community, cultural, and education facilities into the Precinct that are compatible with the working harbour.

Principle - Environment

1. Encourage ecologically sustainable development of the Precinct, in particular:

  • Climate positive
  • Water cycle management
  • Decentralised power
  • Low carbon precinct
  • Minimise waste
  • Green roofing

2. Demonstrate the sustainable sourcing and use of resources and materials in the design, construction, maintenance servicing and environmental performance of new development.

Principle - Community Consultation

1. Ensure that local community, Precinct stakeholders and local government are involved in future planning decisions.

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Page last updated: 16 Jul 2018