Sadly, to Sydneysiders, Darling Harbour has long been known as more daggy than darling. It's home to some of Sydney’s major attractions – the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and the Chinese Garden of Friendship, to name a few – yet its aesthetic hasn’t changed much since the 1980s, meaning it’s not an area that your average Harbour City resident is desperate to spend time. Thankfully, that’s all about to change.
Plans for the redevelopment of the precinct’s Harbourside building have just been revealed, with a precinct-wide redevelopment plan titled Darling Harbour 2050 Vision. The redevelopment has been designed in collaboration with the local community, with the NSW Government running focus groups, online surveys and pop-up stalls to gain insights from the community.
The people have spoken, and calls for greener, more open spaces, opportunities to connect with the water and more trees have been incorporated into the new design. The result? Plans for a shiny new Darling Harbour complete with beautiful public spaces and a sustainably designed 50-storey residential and commercial building.
The redevelopment has been given State Significant Development (SSD) status by the NSW Government, and has been budgeted at $764.5 million – with the investment group Mirvac committing $5.2 million towards affordable housing in the area.
In order to lay the groundwork, the development has involved the demolition of the original Harbourside. RIP.
Plans for further redevelopment in the area – including more waterfront seating, storytelling of the area’s history and public art – are currently being assessed by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. As with the Harbourside building redevelopment, the plans are being informed by collaboration with the community and engagement with the area’s Aboriginal community.
“The 2050 Vision will also guide future decision-making and secure Darling Harbour as a world-famous destination for generations to come,” says NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully.
To learn more about the Darling Harbour 2050 Vision, you can visit the Darling Harbour website, here, or check out the NSW Planning Portal here.