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Sydney Council Shows Its Support

The Water Police Site

Update - March 2004

We are opposed to commercial and residential development on publicly owned foreshore land. We demand that the land on Elizabeth Macarthur Bay be maintained as a community resource providing usable, public open space.

Water Police Farewell

Friends of Pyrmont Point were well represented at the farewell party turned on for the police by the Ultimo/Pyrmont community on Sunday 29 February.

The gloomy skies over Sydney parted, and in glorious weather more than 300 people set out to enjoy the festive atmosphere by the harbour at Pyrmont Point. The NSW Police jazz band, face painters and a sausage sizzle created a festive air and the opportunity to view the Water Police cruiser moored at the Point made it a fun day for both adults and kids alike.

Sydney Council and local businesses Star City Casino, Porters Liquor Store, Glenmore Meats, Bovis Lend Lease, the Point Hotel, Manly Freezers and Coles generously contributed to the party.

Former Lord Mayor Lucy Turnbull spoke of the bond between the Water Police and the community over their 18 years at Pyrmont Point. Lucy urged the community to maintain its fight to keep the vacated site as public open space. She said local kids want “real” open space, not sterile spaces between buildings. She said nothing would be more pleasing than restoration of the original foreshore beach to create "the only natural foreshore from Elizabeth Bay to Pyrmont." 

The organisers are donating surplus party funds to the Police Legacy Fund.

Former Water Police Site - What’s happened so far…..

  • On 27 October 2003, after successful lobbying by Friends of Pyrmont Point, Sydney City Council commissioned “a multi-dimensional traffic and infrastructure study, which considers community needs and supply in respect of traffic, parking and open space;”
  • On 12 November the CFMEU placed an interim Green Ban on the Water Police Site
  • On 17 November Friends of Pyrmont Point persuaded the NSW Trades and Labor Council to support the Green Ban. Council resolved this on 20 November
  • On 20 November, Friends of Pyrmont Point met Craig Knowles, Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources armed with overwhelming community support to stop the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority development application for multi storey development of the site
  • Minister Knowles agreed to halt SHFA’s development pending completion of the study
  • Friends of Pyrmont Point wrote to thank the Minister for assurances that development action has ceased and assuring him (and SHFA) that we continue to campaign for the site to be a community resource
  • Sydney City Council staff are currently finalising the selection of an independent consultant to carry out the multi-dimensional study.

In a strange turn of events, the Labor Lord Mayoral Candidate is claiming credit for the Green Ban and for Craig Knowles’ decision to halt the Development Application! We did have a meeting with him after these issues had been decided upon – at that meeting he agreed to support the Green Ban and the Multi-dimensional Study. He consistently will NOT agree to support our demand that the land on Elizabeth Macarthur Bay must be a community resource providing usable public open space.

 What happens next?

1. Multi-dimensional study

Although the old Sydney Council has been sacked, its decisions still have legal force.

Friends of Pyrmont Point are confident that Council’s independent study will reinforce much of what is already known:

  • There is a shortfall of 14.5 hectares of open space in Ultimo-Pyrmont
  • Open space per person already exceeds any generally accepted planning ratio
  • Recommended levels of parking have already been exceeded
  • The impact of further development will worsen an already bad situation.

2. Community Vision

The Friends of Pyrmont are currently working on a strategy for developing a Community Vision for the former Water Police Site. This will be a genuine community consultation process (unlike the sham process foisted on us by the SHFA) designed to create the best possible future for this harbourside jewel. The Glebe Society have set a magnificent precedent with their strategic plan – “Partnership to a Vibrant Community” www.glebesociety.org. We will follow their lead in developing our Community Vision.

The former Water Police Site must be transformed from its empty, barren state into a vibrant community resource providing safe, green, open public space.

Watch this space for more information on the Community Vision.

Water Police Site Open Space Competition

Entries in the competition for design of a green open community space for the Water Police site have been judged. Congratulations to Paul Hanna (first), Jan Ruddock-Guerry (second) and an anonymous entry (third) for their creative designs.

The designs have been on public display at No 1, Harris Street and at the Ultimo/Pyrmont Festival on 20 March. We expect to soon display them at the Pyrmont Community Centre.

Ultimo Pyrmont Festival

Many thanks to the Harris Centre for allowing Friends of Pyrmont Point a stall at the very successful Ultimo Pyrmont Fandango festival on Saturday 20 March. As always, the state government and SHFA proposals to sell off this public asset for short term gain attracted considerable interest. Thanks also to our members who ran the stall on the day.

Petition signatories

The number of signatories to the Friends of Pyrmont Point petitions to Parliament continues to grow is now 9,500 from all over Sydney and elsewhere, showing the importance of the issue.