Sydney Fish Market

The concept proposal for the new Sydney Fish Market and Stage 1 works was approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces in June 2020.

The project includes:

• the use of the site for a new Sydney Fish Market including waterfront commercial, tourist facilities and ancillary uses
• a building envelope with three above ground levels, a basement parking level with an overall building height of RL 28.00 AHD and a gross floor area of up to 30,000 m²
• waterfront structures such as wharves
• improvements to the public domain including promenades, access to Blackwattle Bay and landscaping
• pedestrian, cycle and road access and circulation principles
• upgrade works to Bridge Road and its intersections with Wattle Street and Wentworth Park Road
• Stage 1 works involving the demolition of land and water-based structures including removal of marine piles and any resulting repairs to the existing seawall.

Assessment

The department welcomed feedback on the Environmental Impact Statement during public exhibition in October–November 2019.

Following feedback received during public exhibition, Infrastructure NSW prepared a formal Response to Submissions (RTS) report, which is publicly available at Major Projects.

All feedback received helped us better understand the opinions and concerns of the community, government agencies and other stakeholders, which informed our assessment of the project.

Assessment included consideration of key issues raised in public submissions, including traffic, parking, contamination, and the connection between Wentworth Park and Blackwattle Bay.

The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces approved the application in June 2020.

The State Significant Development Application for Stage 2 of the new Sydney Fish Market, which includes the construction, use and operation, was approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces in June 2020.

The development will create 700 construction jobs and 725 ongoing jobs, boosting the state’s construction, tourism, retail and hospitality sectors. The new fish markets will also support the renewal of the Bays Precinct through the revitalisation of Blackwattle Bay, an urban renewal opportunity which will deliver a more accessible and attractive Harbour foreshore to the public.

The Stage 2 construction works will include:

• the construction of a new 3-storey building with a gross floor area of 26,751 square meters, including:
  • wharf and boating facilities for fishing fleet servicing, a multi-purpose wharf for recreational vessels and the capacity for a private-operated ferry stop
  • retail premises such as food retail, shops, markets and food and drink premises
  • business and office premises
  • multi-functional spaces and areas for exhibitions, events, functions
  • staff amenities and end-of-journey facilities
  • below ground parking consisting of 417 parking spaces
  • waste management facilities.
• a new public domain including promenades, access to Blackwattle Bay and landscaping
• pedestrian, cycle and road access
• road upgrades such as works to Bridge Road and its intersections with Wattle Street and Wentworth Park Road
• associated works and subdivision of land.

Assessment

The department assessed the application for Stage 2 construction works of the new Sydney Fish Market, considering environmental, social and economic impacts, community and stakeholder submissions and advice from other government agencies.

The new Sydney Fish Market Stage 2 application was on public exhibition and open for feedback until 13 November 2019.

This feedback helped us better understand the opinions and concerns of the community, which informed our assessment of the project. We carefully considered all issues raised in submissions and recommended a suite of conditions to address community concerns and ensure the impacts of the development are appropriately managed.

Key conditions include:

• the implementation of a Design Integrity process for the ongoing review of the design following determination. This includes a review of the detailed design development of the public domain, landscaping, building materials and lighting
• the submission of a detailed public domain plan to be reviewed through the Design Integrity process and approved by the Planning Secretary
• the establishment of a community consultative committee to allow regular contact between the Applicant and representatives from rowing and dragon boat clubs and the Sydney Secondary College to resolve potential issues that may arise during construction
• consultation with City of Sydney Council and Transport for NSW on the design of the shared path, including consideration of available roadside/footpath space on Bridge Road, safety of all users as well as interface with the adjacent drop-off/pick-up area, to address concerns about safety for pedestrians and cyclists
• development of a traffic management plan that identifies appropriate measures to help mitigate and manage traffic issues associated with peak seasonal demands, to address community concerns regarding traffic impacts.