Barangaroo: Lend Lease not listening, but looking to own interests

“Lend Lease claims to have listened to the public about the design of Barangaroo, but it’s clear that the original design was nothing more than an ambit claim,” said Sylvia Hale, Greens MP and spokesperson on Planning.

“It’s a classic tactic of developers to put forward an over-the-top development, reduce it a little, and then say how much they’ve given up by listening to the community.

“The stark facts of the matter are that this development is still 15% above that allowable under the current concept plan and we still have a massive intrusion into Harbour.

“Rather than Paul Keating’s exclamation mark, the hotel has morphed into an unnecessary semi-colon that still juts 90 metres into the Harbour and is 159 metres high.

“To add insult to injury, we have Barangaroo Development Authority Chief Executive John Tabart asserting ‘Lend Lease has listened to the public’.

“Mr Tabart’s role should be to protect the public interest, not to act as leader of the Lend Lease cheer squad.

“Rather than being a showpiece of good design with a focus on public access and interaction with the Harbour, Lend Lease proposes to cram more and more buildings into this space.

“Paul Keating’s claims on behalf of the State Government that this new development will allow access to a part of Sydney Harbour denied to Sydneysiders for generations is simply spin. It’s clear that the only people who will enjoy access will be the very well healed who can afford to live there.

“As with so much development in NSW, Barangaroo would appear to be nothing more than a place where the close relationship between developers and Government will deliver not the best outcome for Sydney, but the best outcome for developers

“There is no community interest in continuing with this massive and self-interested development,” said Ms Hale.

Contact: Colin Hesse on 02 9230 3030 or 0401 719 124