The NSW Government's Barangaroo Delivery Authority has delivered its latest update on the controversial development in Sydney. The message comes under the headline: 'Barangaroo's bold design offers new dimension to our city'. It says:
"Lend Lease recently refined the designs for the first three office towers at Barangaroo, creating a more elegant and streamlined appearance, improving the spaces and relationship between the towers as well as views through and from within the buildings. The designs were refined in response to submissions lodged on a planning application for the first office building, known as C4.
"The refined building designs create something truly unique for Sydney and provide large, clear and flexible workspaces that Sydney needs to attract and retain leading financial services businesses to support the city's economic growth.
"We need to ensure we don't miss the opportunities presented by Barangaroo, such as the creation of an outstanding natural headland and a spectacular hotel vitally needed to meet growing needs. It will also deliver a true mixed use precinct with residential in the south that will create a truly vibrant and active space seven days a week, a world class financial hub attracting global companies which will strengthen our economy and provide uninterrupted access to the waterfront for the people of Sydney.
"The heights of the buildings in Barangaroo are within the context of the rest of the CBD, and provide the large floor plates demanded in the 21st century by the international financial services industry. This is essential for Sydney to continue to be Australia's financial capital and global city. In Barangaroo, the tallest building will be the seventh tallest in the Sydney CBD and the fourteenth tallest in Australia.
"A significant impediment to the inclusion of a cruise passenger terminal at Barangaroo was a requirement that cruise terminals be a minimum of 30 metres from the quay-line and berthed vessels. That would result in the harbour foreshore being closed off to the public for considerable periods of the year and a reduction in accessible public open space by up 25 per cent.
"The Government has approved the development of a new Cruise Passenger Terminal at White Bay. The White Bay terminal will mainly [cater] for the domestic segment of the cruise industry, being passengers who reside in NSW or otherwise within Australia. Most international tourist vessels will continue to arrive at the Cruise Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay."
