The intervention by aviation authorities to reduce Parramatta’s proposed Aspire tower by up to 30 storeys could be replicated across all of Sydney, says the Urban Taskforce.

Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson has slammed aviation authorities for their lack of support for the proposed 306 metre Aspire Tower by Grimshaw Architects that has been planned for the new Parramatta Square precinct.

The aviation authorities say it would infringe on the protected airspace for take-off and landing and have called for a smaller design to be constructed which equates to between 60 and 80 storeys.

The below statement came from the Urban Taskforce and expresses the need for Sydney to keep up with Melbourne and other international cities when designing and building skyscrapers.

“The aviation authorities need to work with Sydney as a twenty first century city and not against aspirations for taller buildings,” says Johnson.

“It seems that a maximum height of 243 metres is being proposed across all of Sydney which limits buildings to around 70 storeys. Brisbane already has buildings of 90 storeys and Melbourne has recently approved a 100 storey building so it seems strange that the aviation bureaucrats are out to keep Sydney lower.”

“The aviation authorities need to relook at the future potential growth of Sydney’s centres and structure flight paths around these. The NSW Department of Planning and Environment must assert the importance of growth in Parramatta, the Sydney CBD and other centres so that height is not overly constrained. State and Federal Governments must work together for a solution that balances aviation needs and the future growth of cities.”

“Other countries like China and America seem to be able to balance the construction of tall buildings with the flight paths and radar requirements of nearby airports. New York in America and Pudong (Shanghai) in China are cities with very tall buildings well over 100 storeys and both have airports nearby.”

“The Urban Taskforce urges the NSW Government to take a proactive role in ensuring that Sydney is not overly restrained in the height of tall buildings compared to other cities in Australia.”

Image: Parramatta City Council.