NSW Maritime announced the successful bid for development of the Blackwattle Bay wharves on 27 May, 2010. The announcement is light on detail, but judging by the artist’s impression the concerns previous expressed by the Blackwattle Coalition (BCC) are justified.

The wharves are located between the Sydney Fish Market and the Hanson’s concrete batch plant on Bridge Road, and are opposite Wentworth Park. At present they are used by charter boats catering for tours of Sydney Harbour, and this will continue under the announced plan. Community concern centres on the size of orientation of the building proposed to provide storage and “back of house” services to the charter boats.

The text of Maritime’s announcement and the artist’s impression are reproduced below. Click here to read BCC’s comment on 22 August 2009 which was based on an artist’s impression released to the media at that time, and click here to read a later article published on this website on 18 May 2010.

The text of Maritime’s announcement:

A Deed of Agreement to Enter into a Lease was signed on 6 May 2010 with Blackwattle Bay Marina Pty Ltd to redevelop key sites at the southern end of Blackwattle Bay.

Blackwattle Bay Marina will carry out a $26M redevelopment of the current charter vessel wharf and the adjacent former coal bunker wharf site in return for a 35 year lease.

The new charter vessel facility will contain berthing space for a minimum of 18 vessels together with a two storey building for storage and back of house use.

The former coal bunker wharf will be redeveloped into a three storey maritime commercial/retail building and will incorporate many historical features including reinterpretation of the coal unloader gantry crane.

Once completed, the public will have full foreshore access, including a new over-water pedestrian link to the Sydney Fish Market as part of the Glebe to Woolloomooloo foreshore access way.

Blackwattle Bay Marina expect to lodge a development application in early 2011.  The precinct will be progressively opened in three stages and is expected to be fully operational by December 2014.

Artist’s impression of the development released by NSW Maritime:

Note: Subsequent to posting this image with its announcement, NSW Maritime informed the Society that the image was prepared in 2009 and does not necessarily reflect the plans of the proponent, which will not become public until a development  application is lodged later this year.