The Bays West Master Plan
COX and TURF acknowledge the peoples of the Eora Nation as the Traditional Custodians of Gadi/Cadi and Wangal Country. We extend deep respect to Elders past, present and emerging as the Knowledge Holders for this place and acknowledge their continuing custodianship for land, seas, skies, waterways, and all systems that embody Country here.
The Bays West Master Plan sets out a vision for a connected, vibrant, and activated precinct. A new kind of Sydney urbanism that respects and celebrates Country, drawing on natural, cultural, maritime and industrial stories to shape an innovative and sustainable place for living, working and recreation.
The delivery of the Metro Station by 2030 is the first step in the renewal of the precinct. To support the delivery of the Metro Station, COX and Turf Design Studio have been engaged by the Department of Planning and Environment to prepare the Bays West Stage 1 Draft Master Plan and Urban Design Framework for the White Bay Power Station (and Metro) and Robert Street sub-precincts.
Rob Stokes, NSW Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport
Over the next few years, what was an industrial heartland, will become a heartland for all sorts of diverse employment opportunities, new parklands, a new metro station and active transport… A vision for what urban regeneration means for Sydney’s future.
Sydney Harbour reaches into the sub-precincts at the head of White Bay. A relationship between land and water that has been significantly altered over time. The vision is to acknowledge the past, and plan for the city’s future. The station, as part of the Sydney Metro West network, provides public access to a foreshore that has long been inaccessible. The Master Plan seeks to position the landscape and public domain as a fundamental unifying element of the waterfront redevelopment, creating a place of culture, community, recreation, commerce and living.
The overall vision for the White Bay Power Station (and Metro) and Robert Street sub-precincts is to deliver a publicly accessible edge to parts of White Bay, anchored by the White Bay Park. The waterfront will serve as a playground for the residents, a relaxation space for workers, an educational space for visitors and a world-class waterfront address for the state of NSW. The creation of waterfront spaces will be balanced with ongoing ports and maritime uses.
The Site Structure is underpinned by the principle of delivering cohesive, connected, and complementary sub-precincts, supporting a variety of uses and users, and destinations and attractions within each sub-precinct.
Anita Mitchell, Chief Executive, Placemaking NSW
Importantly, what the community can see happening on site is the repair and remediation of the power station and actually get it ready for its next generation of re-use and redevelopment opportunities.
Rob Stokes, NSW Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport
The White Bay Power Station will be the centrepiece of an amazing regeneration here in the heart of global Sydney.
The connection to Country strategy proposes augmenting the former power station into a place of learning – elevating knowledge as the power of the future. It will be a precinct of both indoor and outdoor learning with the heritage building becoming a library (written word) and the parkland embedded with stories of water Country (songline).
Just as this site mixes two water types, the site also acknowledges a mix of two types of learning. The sweetwater that comes from the creek and the rain will be collected in a series of pools across the site. The ponds will clean the water that will create five islands across the site. The water will connect to the harbour in a series of nodes, which like the gills of a fish will filter it in a daily rhythm of tidal movements. This will nourish and increase the colonies of seahorses that will potentially live on the sea wall, which will be interpreted with language revealed with the tides.
