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Port Authority of NSW approves shipping facility in inner west Sydney

A shipping facility for the delivery of construction materials will be built at the edge of Sydney Harbour in the inner west after it was approved by the government authority behind the proposal.

The Port Authority of NSW on Monday gave the green light for its own plan for the “multi-user facility” on the eastern side of Glebe Island, located under the Anzac Bridge and opposite Pyrmont.

The authority said the hub for the delivery of materials such as sand, aggregate and cement would meet the city’s rising demand for concrete and construction materials and support infrastructure projects including the Sydney Metro, WestConnex and Western Harbour Tunnel in the next decade.

But the development has raised the ire of residents across the water in Pyrmont who are concerned the facility will generate around-the-clock noise, traffic congestion, dust and pollution from ships.

The authority said the building would consist of separated storage bays to receive, store and distribute dry bulk construction materials to concrete batching plants and construction sites.

“Dry bulk construction materials will be offloaded from ships via their unloading equipment and into the facility, where the materials can then be loaded from the storage bays onto trucks within the building,” the authority said in a statement.

“The port’s berths provide a low-cost, low-impact and sustainable way to bring dry bulk construction materials necessary for concrete production into the city.”

The authority has previously indicated the construction is consistent with the state government’s ambition to maintain the Glebe Island and White Bay area as a working port.

More than 200 submissions to the authority’s proposal included concerns about noise levels, air quality and traffic congestion.

Christopher Levy, the chairman of the Jacksons Landing Coalition, said residents had been told the facility would be 210 metres long, 65 metres wide and five storeys high.

Mr Levy said the coalition was pushing for a curfew but would rather see the site turned into a waterfront destination in keeping with plans to transform the surrounding Bays Precinct.

“We don’t mind it being there if there’s a curfew, if it stops after 7pm and starts again at 7am.”

The Inner West Council expressed reservations about the facility’s proximity to transport projects under construction including WestConnex, the Western Harbour Tunnel and the M4-M5 Link.

Balmain MP Jamie Parker said allowing the authority to approve its own development application “makes a mockery of the notion of independent planning approval”.

He said the project should have been subject to planning processes as a state significant development.

The authority previously said the approval process for the facility was “consistent with the same approach that applies to other public authorities for comparable infrastructure projects”.

The Port Authority said on Monday it would continue to “engage with community members and other stakeholders to manage and mitigate any potential concerns”.

“This will involve implementing mitigation measures for noise, traffic and air quality, as well as holding information sessions and seeking input to the visual amenity of the building.”

A spokesman for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment said: “When assessing other developments in the Bay area, the Department of Planning will consider cumulative impacts as part of its assessment of any development application.”
Source: Sydney Morning Herald

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