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Earlier this year, the NSW Government unveiled plans to transform a 77-hectare stretch of harbourfront land into a brand-new suburb – complete with thousands of homes, parks, cultural spaces and, for the first time in more than a century, public access to large sections of Sydney's western harbour. Now, things are getting even more real, with the government launching an international design competition to shape the future suburb (currently referred to as Bays West).
Set just minutes from the CBD between White Bay Power Station and Glebe Island, the former industrial precinct is one of the last major pieces of inner-harbour land left to be redeveloped. Now, some of the world's leading architects, urban designers, landscape architects and planners are being invited to help shape what Sydney’s next inner-city suburb could look like.
The winning design will help shape a huge new neighbourhood, home to up to 8,500 homes (with at least ten per cent set aside as affordable and essential worker housing) plus parks, waterfront promenades, recreation spaces, entertainment and cultural destinations and dramatically improved public access to the harbour's edge.
According to the NSW Government, the new suburb is set to become one of Sydney's best-connected new precincts. A metro station is scheduled to open in 2032 as the Sydney Metro network expands, and new walking and cycling links – including connections across the historic Glebe Island Bridge – aim to make it easier to reach the area without getting behind the wheel.
Rather than designing individual buildings, the international competition will establish the long-term vision for two of the precinct's most significant sites: the White Bay Power Station precinct and Glebe Island. Designers are being asked to think big, developing an urban framework that will guide everything from public spaces and transport to sustainability, land use and the overall character of the new suburb.
The competition will run across two stages, with expressions of interest opening at 4pm on Tuesday, July 28 and closing at 3pm on Friday, August 21. International design teams will be required to partner with Australian firms, and shortlisted teams will each receive AUD$200,000 to develop their proposals during the second stage. The winning team will continue to play a role as the precinct evolves. Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said the competition marks "the start of the next chapter for Bays West", while NSW Government Architect Abbie Galvin said the precinct has the potential to join the ranks of the world's great waterfront destinations.
You can learn more about the comp over here.
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