Draft Bays West Place Strategy NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment March 2021 Welcome to Country The stretch of Country now known as Bays West Welcome to Country provided by Shannon Foster, has been known for millennia as Gari Gurad/ D'harawal Sydney Traditional Owner and Knowledge Nura (Saltwater Country) and Nattai Gurad/ Keeper. Artwork titled 'Guriwal Dreaming' by Shannon Nura (Freshwater Country). This Country is Foster. celebrated for vast expanses of garaban (rock Within the Bays West Place Strategy, you will and sandstone) which in some places provides encounter stories of the Bays West location gibbaragunya (stone/cave shelters), and in other specifically. These are a small selection of the places creates yiningmah (steep cliffs) where D'harawal stories of this place. They are shared by a ceremony can be performed privately without contributor to this document, D'harawal Knowledge uninitiated onlookers. Keeper Shannon Foster, whose Ancestors kept these knowledges alive, and whose Elders and Knowledge For thousands of generations, local Aboriginal Keepers still celebrate, live by and share them today. people have lived an abundant and sustainable lifestyle within a complex kinship system of The cultural Intellectual Property (IP) of all Aboriginal numerous families and clans on this Country peoples, including the cultural IP of these stories, including the D’harawal, Dharug, Eora, Gai- remains with the people they belong to and can never maragal, Gundangara and Guringai peoples, be vested or assigned. In this case the stories belong among others. We pay our respects to their to the D'harawal people of the Sydney region who Ancestors and Elders past, present and know themselves as Iyora here, and these stories emerging and acknowledge that through may not be duplicated or used without the express honouring Country, we also honour their timeless permission of Sydney D'harawal Elders or Knowledge connections to Country. Keepers. The stories shared are just the starting point. There are other stories, and there are many It is also here on this Country that we recognise layers of these stories that have not been unpacked the changing and evolving nature of Country in this document. There may also be other Ancestral and the ways in which local communities and stories of this location from other local peoples, and ecologies have responded and adapted to these hearing them will involve the effort and time to learn in changes throughout time. We acknowledge culturally appropriate ways. that Country is a living, breathing entity with an enduring Duwee or Spirit and it is this spirit that informs the work we undertake here today, and into the future. Ngeeyinee bulima nandiritah (May you always see the beauty of this earth) Executive summary Bays West has changed over time vibrant and activated precinct – a from its Aboriginal origins, through new kind of Sydney urbanism that the industrial age, to its present- respects and celebrates Country, day use as a significant harbour- drawing on natural, cultural, side precinct supporting ports maritime and industrial stories to and a working harbour, framed by shape an innovative and sustainable decommissioned heritage structures new place for living, recreation and and important arterial road working. infrastructure. The Bays West of the future will Throughout its history, Bays West evolve over time into a mixed-use the innovation corridor to adapt to The NSW Government’s decision to has seen wholesale shifts in patterns precinct integrated with enhanced new technologies and sustainable invest in the delivery of a Sydney of land use. More recently, waves of port and working harbour activities, port operations, and building a Metro station will be the first step to industry have moved in, expanded, a ‘blue economy’ leveraging world-class foreshore walk with unlock the precinct’s potential and then become redundant or moved an already powerful economic walking and cycling connections to to ensure access for all. It provides to other parts of Sydney, with the contribution – some $4 billion over the surrounding urban areas. a catalyst, offering significant development and connectivity vital exception of ports and working 25 years from Port Authority land. It will be host to activities, places, opportunities for its future resident, harbour operations. As Bays West It will be supported by the adaptive connections and destinations that worker and visitor populations has evolved, people have been re-use of the White Bay Power enrich the precinct’s character and and will allow the future vision and progressively excluded, so that Station and more convenient and meaning through built form and opportunities for the precinct to be much of the space has become direct active transport connections. public spaces that embrace its realised. inaccessible to the public and the Opportunities are boundless. These natural and cultural heritage. The area’s life and vitality has been lost. include revitalising heritage assets, precinct will respect and celebrate creating an international gateway at This Place Strategy for Bays West Country, building on its past to Above: The sandstone seating at Ewenton the Cruise Terminal, capitalising on sets out a vision for a connected, shape a new place. Park in Balmain, looking across to Barangaroo and the Sydney CBD. Draft Bays West Place Strategy 3 Executive summary This Place Strategy speaks to Bay’s West’s past, present and future. Its 14 directions, across Land use and function, Design of places and Transport and Heritage and culture Infrastructure delivery five enabling themes, that address further spaces that provide movement that that recognise and governance that address connectivity, land uses of Bays West guidance on how recognise the the importance of recognise that the productivity, liveability and the role it will play Bays West will feel to constrained nature of the past and how precinct will evolve and sustainability in Sydney’s future. people and what is Bays West and establish understanding history over time and that important in the design how the precinct will and culture is critical to multiple stakeholders matters that will guide • Direction 1 the growth and change Deliver diverse of buildings and public move people and goods creating a place with are required to ensure of the precinct over employment spaces domain. to, from and through meaning. that Bays West is that can support • Direction 4 Bays West. • Direction 11 successfully delivered. time. The themes and knowledge intensive A key focus of the Bring new life to existing directions are: industries, which are a • Direction 8 • Direction 13 precinct is the design of diverse assets and uses, key contributor to the Improve the precinct’s Use a whole-of- open space and social integrating rich layers success of the innovation connectivity and government approach infrastructure, ensuring of creativity, heritage corridor integration into its to deliver strong and careful integration with locality and surrounding and culture across the coordinated place • Direction 2 the natural, industrial, areas precinct outcomes for Bays West Deliver a range of maritime and cultural • Direction 12 over time housing, including • Direction 9 heritage Ensure that future affordable housing, to Provide for new • Direction 14 • Direction 5 developments recognise, support the jobs created connections to existing Provide services and Promote design embrace and create in the precinct and the places by removing infrastructure to support excellence and embed a opportunities for deeper ongoing growth of the existing barriers to allow the needs of the existing people-focused approach understanding of our Eastern Harbour City connections through and future community to deliver high quality the site and convenient culture and stories of Bays West and its • Direction 3 and diverse built form access to the new Metro surrounds as it grows Retain, manage and allow and amenity outcomes station over time. the essential strategic • Direction 6 port and maritime • Direction 10 Promote biodiversity and industry uses to grow Prioritise walking, cycling improve water quality and evolve, to ensure and public transport in the harbour whilst they continue to support by capitalising on the restoring and expanding the NSW economy new Metro station, the green and blue creating more convenient natural systems and direct active • Direction 7 transport connections Deliver a world class and investigate the sustainable precinct reinstatement of a which is carbon neutral crossing from Bays West and delivers efficient to Pyrmont management of energy and water, and the elimination of waste Draft Bays West Place Strategy 4 Executive summary The themes and directions are The vision, directions and big backed by six big moves: moves are articulated in the structure plan, which is presented Big Move 1 as an aspirational, end-state Repurpose White Bay Power Station representation of the precinct’s to become a focal point of the urban renewal. This Bays West Place precinct. Strategy also contains an initial stage structure plan, which shows Big Move 2 the precinct when the metro station A crossing from Bays West to opens, towards the end of the Pyrmont to create more convenient decade. and direct active transport The vision, directions, big moves connections. and the structure plan are all supported by a range of actions Big Move 3 to achieve them over the short, Connect community to water, medium and long term. The while recognising