Sadly, the answer to the above is no. The original bid to locate its main offices in White sudden death of UrbanGrowth as a strategic Bay. player following its brave (and apparently The dominance of WestConnex and the need to justified) refusal to accept any of the developer finalise decisions relating to the new City metro proposals for the White Bay power station site have overridden the possibility of coherent has returned the Bays Precinct to uncoordinated transport planning relating to the Bays Precinct. development lacking visible strategic coherence. The most recent (23 March) communication from The left-over bit of UrbanGrowth-as-developer UrbanGrowth indicates that there might now be only retains responsibility for the Blackwattle Bay some action on this – ‘We’re continuing to work development – so there is, once again, no one closely with Transport for NSW and Sydney agency with strategic oversight of the Metro on planning for a metro station at The development of this extraordinary area of Bays Precinct.’ publicly owned harbour foreshore. However, I would guess this is more a matter of UrbanGrowth being told rather than participating in decision making. The demise of the community reference group? The Bays Precinct CRG has run its designated two-year term. I – like others – did not attend the last meeting. It was never able to function as a The area contained within the ‘Bays Market District’ meaningful consultation process because there (image: thebayssydney.nsw.gov.au/destinations/bays- was such a tight restraint (almost certainly from market-district/) the Government) on UrbanGrowth sharing ANY The Government’s failure over recent years to useful information with the Group. deliver (or permit?) a coherent and integrated UrbanGrowth has indicated they are in the transport plan for the Bays Precinct and ‘ surrounding areas has pretty much strangled the process of engaging an independent consultant original concept. Note this was central to to carry out an evaluation of the Reference Group, including the Terms of Reference’. I hope Google’s public reason for pulling out of its they don’t spend much money on this – the Group could give them a succinct evaluation for free. In the meantime it has been suggested the The lack of meaningful (or any) consultation or CRG will continue to meet under the old terms of information from the Government or its agencies reference. was of course the ever-present issue. A number of proposals to address this were considered Meetings with City of Sydney and MPs and a meeting with the Premier is being The City of Sydney Council has initiated regular requested. meetings with Bays community representatives, local MPs (Jamie Parker and Alex Greenwich) Status report on the new Fishmarket and the Inner West Council to consolidate our I previously reported on a meeting we had last information on the Government’s intentions in year with the Danish architect 3XN contracted to relation to the Bays Precinct and surrounding design the Fishmarket building at its new site at areas and to explore ways we can influence its the head of Blackwattle Bay (the current decisions. Hansons’ cement mixing site). UrbanGrowth and the architects subsequently held similar public The most recent one was held on 1 March – Asa briefings. Wahlquist and I attended for the Glebe Society. I reported some optimism that these respected The main discussion was on the magnitude of architects may come up with a terrific design for and flow-on impact on traffic and general the new Fishmarket building. amenity of major development and construction activities in this part of the inner west over the This optimism was counterbalanced by the next few years. multitude of constraints and problems surrounding the venture: the limited space of the These include: the move of cement Hansons’ site and the technical challenges of building mixing plan to Glebe Island; the construction of largely on and under water; the total lack of the new Fishmarket and the highrise information about traffic management on Bridge redevelopment of the current Fishmarkets site Rd or parking provisions given the projected 6 both supposedly commencing in 2018; the million visitors pa; the relationship with, and construction of the new City metro and its implications for, Wentworth Park and most tunnels and stations including one in the Bays – importantly the typical lack of any public Precinct; the WestConnex construction work – information demonstrating the relative public and around the Rozelle interchange and a proposed private benefit of the decision to relocate the dive site on Victoria Rd for one of the harbour Fishmarket to this small and difficult site to allow tunnels. the sell-off (we presume) and private development of the current publicly owned Fishmarkets site. Since then we have had no official information about progress. However the release of the design is due and we have been expecting it for some time. The Government schedule is for construction to commence before the end of 2018. There are rumours that the architects have found the proposed site is too small and so have made Artist’s impression of the proposed revitalisation of the Sydney Fishmarket. (image: a bid to extend the footprint for the structure thebayssydney.nsw.gov.au/destinations/bays-market-district/) further out into Blackwattle Bay. Now isn’t that a surprise! Glebe Island will become the service/supply centre for nearby construction activities. I also Master Plan for the old Fishmarkets site understand that it is planned to service all The big action relates to the redevelopment of supplies and waste removal from excavation the old Fishmarkets site and adjoining Bank St work on the new Fishmarket site by boat. We sites. have difficulties envisaging what these plans mean for Blackwattle and White Bay. As reported previously, an urban designer (FJMT) was appointed in August to design a The lack of visible transport planning to cope master plan for what has been dubbed the ‘Bays with the massive increase in traffic that can be Market District’. This is also due but has not yet expected from the WestConnex and the surfaced. Fishmarket developments was also a key issue. 2 Glebe Society Bulletin no.1 of 2018 (March 2018) It is being developed (as far as we know) with development approval by Minister Joe Tripodi for the same lack of related traffic management or the Blackwattle Bay site on the basis of a non- transport and social infrastructure planning complying application – after the CEO of information. As high rise residential and Maritime Services Steve Dunn dismissed the commercial development is planned for most of valid ongoing tender process. (Both the Minister the site, this appears to be an incoherent and and the CEO were subsequently found to be reckless approach to urban planning. corrupt by ICAC – albeit in an unrelated matter.) Consequential relocation of All The Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, has made a Occasions Cruises to Bank St further attempt to persuade the Government to No decision has yet been made in relation to the block this obviously ill-judged and inappropriate highly controversial proposal to relocate Joe relocation by writing directly to Premier Elias’s All Occasion Cruises operation from its Berejiklian (letter dated 22 November 2017): current site next to the Fishmarkets (B1 B2 There are serious concerns the proposal will wharves) to Bank St for 10 years to allow the have significant and ongoing impacts and construction of the new Fishmarket. that it is in direct conflict with the wider It is, however, my understanding that the needs of the Bays Precinct transformation and the State long-standing relocation has been approved – and the Government’s Government will announce it soon. commitment to prioritise the site for community uses. This approval will be granted notwithstanding the, seemingly inconsequential, fact that 210 out There are also concerns the Government of the 220 submissions in response to the will approve the application, despite proposal strongly objected to it on a host of overwhelming public concern, given the grounds. The objecting submissions included marina’s existing lease arrangements. those from the Glebe Society and the City of …will you urgently instruct Urban Growth to Sydney. withdraw its application before the Of course there is nothing unusual about such Government approves it. disregard for community opinion these days. In We can but await the decision. this instance, it will be just the another step in the whole dodgy process from 2009 when Elias was Lesley Lynch controversially granted a long lease and a Convenor, Bays and Foreshores A development application is before Council for a As for the cons … Can the local streets handle restaurant and café in the heritage listed cottage, the additional traffic and parking issues that may Bellevue, in Blackwattle Park at Glebe Point. As well result from a restaurant staying open late Glebe Society President, Allan Hogan, explained into the evening? Will the noise from departing on the front page of the last Bulletin (No 1 of jolly diners disturb neighbours in this normally 2018), there are pros and cons with this. peaceful neighbourhood? In our submission to Council on the DA in January, the Society What are the pros? The beloved café would demanded that issues of parking, noise, hours of open again and a new restaurant would come operation, and landscaping be addressed before online; but most importantly, Bellevue, through approval was granted. its occupation, will be protected rather than risking continuing neglect by disuse. As Allan We have received a couple of letters from stated in his article, ‘The Society believes that members reflecting the pros and cons and these the preservation and maintenance of Bellevue, are reproduced below: and its value as a community amenity, is most Dear Editor, likely to be achieved if the building has a permanent tenant.