Community Consultation

Sydney Ports remains firmly committed to consulting with the local White Bay community on issues regarding the Cruise Passenger Terminal now under construction at White Bay 5.

As a result, Sydney Ports has listened to the community over the issues of public access and parking.

Read more about the construction works on site.

Public Access

Sydney Ports has held two independently chaired workshops with residents, the Glebe Island White Bay Community Liaison Group, Leichhardt Municipal Council (Council) and the Balmain Rozelle Chamber of Commerce, to discuss options for public access to the new Cruise Passenger Terminal at White Bay.

The two workshops, on 9 February 2012 and 1 March 2012, provided valuable feedback regarding public access on days when the terminal is not being used for port operations.

The minutes from the workshops are now publicly available:

• Community Workshop Minutes (1 March 2012)
• Community Workshop Minutes (9 February 2012))

Following the two workshops and a subsequent survey of 89 residents living near the proposed location in Grafton Street (near Adolphus Street), Sydney Ports wrote to Leichhardt Council, seeking its preferred public access option for local residents and the broader community.

The options to be considered by Council were:

• from Grafton Street (near Adolphus Street) and from Robert Street; or
• from Robert Street only.

The public access will include disabled access and public toilet facilities.

Each option is likely to require a modification to the Project Approval, which would be sought by Sydney Ports.

Sydney Ports was advised by Council on 26 April that it would like public access to be further consulted through the Bays Precinct Taskforce and that Robert Street be confirmed as the point of access ‘at this point in time.’

Sydney Ports will seek a modification to the Project Approval to ensure that Council’s preference for Robert Street option will be constructed.

Parking

Sydney Ports Corporation is in the process of changing the proposed arrangements for car parking in Robert Street near the new White Bay Cruise Passenger Terminal, following consultation with local businesses and Leichhardt Municipal Council (Council).

The original Environmental Assessment for the terminal project had identified a net loss of 125 car parking spaces in Roberts Road.

However, as a result of proposals put forward by Sydney Ports to Council, the net loss will now be at most 50 car parking spaces.

Council has indicated a preference for a design that provides for perpendicular parking in lieu of parallel parking by removing a proposed landscape strip on the southern side of Robert Street. This requires Sydney Ports to relocate the new access road by approximately two metres further into its land to the south.

Sydney Ports has lodged an application to modify the Project Approval  to accommodate Council’s preference above.

Sydney Ports continues to work cooperatively with Council on this matter and has taken note of the concerns of both the community and nearby local businesses.

Sydney Ports has also requested that Council consider timed parking during business hours for at least some of the spaces, to further assist local businesses which rely on this parking for their clients.

This suggestion has been raised with Sydney Ports by a number of the local businesses in the area and Council agreed to consider this proposal.

Environmental Site Inspections

Environmental controls and housekeeping on the construction site of the new White Bay Cruise Passenger Terminal are demonstrating ‘best practice at a construction site of this type and in this sensitive location’, according to the latest independent inspection of the site.

Sydney Ports has written to Leichhardt Muncipal Council to advise it of the latest assessment by independent Environmental Representative, Steve Fermio Environmental (SFE), which carries out regular inspections of the site.

SFE is currently inspecting the site on a fortnightly basis to ensure all environmental controls are in place.

The latest inspection also notes that ‘Site management and personnel are to be commended on the very high standard of environmental controls and practice evident.’

Read the full Sydney Ports letter to Council.

A History of Consultation

In February 2011, Sydney Ports was granted approval by the NSW Government to construct a new cruise passenger terminal at White Bay.

Throughout the planning process, which included an advertised public exhibition stage, Sydney Ports consulted extensively with the local community via two public open days and consulted with the Balmain Rozelle Chamber of Commerce and the Glebe Island/White Bay Community Liaison Group.

It should be noted that subsequent to the Project Approval for the project being granted by the then Minister for Planning, further negotiations were held with Leichhardt Council, resulting in amended Conditions of Approval for the construction and operation of the new cruise passenger terminal.

Furthermore, following a meeting with the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Brad Hazzard MP, Sydney Ports agreed to undertake additional consultation with Leichhardt Council to address the issues of functions, traffic and public access to the foreshore.

As indicated above, these meetings are ongoing.

In terms of community consultation, Sydney Ports has exceeded its obligations under the Project Approval and has continued consulting with Leichhardt Council and other stakeholder groups such as the Glebe Island/White Bay Community Liaison Group, which comprises both community representatives and a Council officer.

To date, Sydney Ports has consulted directly with the community, in the following ways:

• attendance at two community “open days” at Clontarf Cottage, on 7 March 2009 and 23 October 2010
• meetings with the Balmain Chamber of Commerce on two occasions, 17 November 2010 and 2 November 2011, as well as a site tour on 10 November 2011
• attendance at two Leichhardt Council public forums on 17 February 2009 and 17 October 2011
• attendance at a meeting with the Leichhardt Bicycle Users Group on 12 May 2011
• a Special Meeting of the Glebe Island/White Bay Community Liaison Group was held on the 13 September 2010 to discuss the proposed cruise terminal and the environmental assessment, and to answer any queries the Group had regarding the project. This meeting was attended by representatives from Johnson Pilton Walker (the architects for the project) and JBA Planning (the Planning Consultants for the project)
• ongoing quarterly meetings with the Glebe Island/White Bay Community Liaison Group.

In addition to the above, Sydney Ports chairs the Glebe Island/White Bay community group liasion meetings in relation to the precint. Read more details on this group, including minutes of the meetings.