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There’s a whole lot of development going on in Sydney – with Sydney Olympic Park due to grow by more than 400 per cent over the next four years, Parramatta scoring some major new developments and a whole new city being built on the doorstep of the new Western Sydney International Airport. Now, plans have been revealed to build a brand-new suburb rising straight out of the harbour.
The NSW Government has today unveiled plans for Bays West, a mega new precinct that will deliver up to 8,500 homes directly above one of Sydney’s new metro stations (Bays West Metro Station).
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The site – currently under-utilised government-owned port land at Glebe Island and White Bay – will be transformed into Sydney’s newest inner-city neighbourhood. It’s the first new suburb built in inner Sydney in decades, and at least ten per cent of homes will be set aside as affordable housing, including dedicated places for essential workers like nurses, teachers, paramedics, firefighters and police.
According to the plans, the site will house a lot more than just apartments – with public waterfront access, new parks and open space, and active transport links connecting Rozelle, Balmain and Glebe – including a future walking and cycling link across the Glebe Island Bridge. Ferries and metro connections will stitch the precinct into the rest of the city, positioning it as one of Sydney’s best-connected communities.
Culture is central to the pitch, too. The historic White Bay Power Station will anchor the precinct as a night-time and creative industries hub, complete with a new public forecourt opening it up to the harbour. The plans also promise a new staging area for big events – meaning Sydney’s NYE and Vivid programs are on the up.
According to the government, the new suburb won’t wipe out the existing industrial precinct. Deep-water berths will remain, the cruise terminal will stay put, and working harbour operations will largely consolidate into White Bay. Bulk port operations on Glebe Island – including cement, gypsum and sugar handling – will cease by 2030, with $270 million earmarked to move these processes elsewhere (primarily Port Kembla).
An international design competition will guide the masterplan, with a new dedicated delivery agency to oversee the transformation. The goal? Homes, infrastructure, jobs and public space delivered together, rather than in piecemeal fashion.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has framed the move as essential if Sydney wants to stay liveable for young people and families. And in a city where housing affordability feels like the stuff of fairytales, building thousands of homes on well-located public land – right on top of a major transport link – feels like a pretty solid move.
You can learn more about the plans for Bays West over here.
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