ATE MEDIA INFORMATION | INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE

INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATESydney is a big city on the move, with a long list of exciting infrastructure developments, more public space and a range of hotel styles in the pipeline. Australia’s largest exhibition and convention centre is underway at Darling Harbour while the major redevelopment of harbourside Barangaroo is already making an impact on the city’s skyline.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF DARLING HARBOUR

The NSW Government is partnering with Darling Harbour, Live and Lend Lease to deliver a 20-hectare, $3.4 billion transformation of Darling Harbour. The project includes Australia’s premier integrated convention, exhibition and events destination, the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), and includes expanded public space, a luxury hotel and a new city neighbourhood.

The ICC Sydney is on track for completion in late 2016. It will be at the heart of a waterfront precinct, with restaurants, shops and a vibrant public domain generating about $200 million each year in economic benefit for NSW; a total of $5 billion to the state over 25 years.

The new ICC Sydney facilities will include:

■ Convention facilities that will be capable of holding three separate, self-sufficient, concurrent events as well as an 8,000-seat plenary.

■ Australia’s largest ballroom, located on the top floor, will feature spectacular water and city views. The dramatic venue will host 2,000 in banquet mode and more than 3,500 for cocktail functions

■ A tiered theatre with a capacity of 8,000 will have the capacity to be scaled to seat 6,000, 5,000 or 3,500 people

■ An open-air event deck of 5,000sqm will include a bar and lounge featuring city skyline views

■ Total exhibition capacity will be 35,000sqm with 8,000sqm of meeting-room space across 70 rooms

■ An upgraded public domain with outdoor event space will cater for up to 27,000 people and include improved pedestrian access from Chinatown, Central Station, Ultimo, Pyrmont and the city centre.

At the northern end of the site, there will be a landmark five-star hotel with about 600 rooms; at the southern end, a new neighbourhood is emerging with offices, residential, student housing, public car parking and retail. This site includes the Sydney Entertainment Centre, now called the Qantas Credit Union Arena, which will remain open until December 2015.

TOP: TUMBALONG PARK AT DARLING HARBOUR. BOTTOM: AERIAL VIEW OF DARLING HARBOUR.

This ‘once in a generation’ opportunity builds on the success of Darling Harbour and will create an exciting precinct in which to live, work and have fun. Visitors, including families, will still find plenty to enjoy at Darling Harbour with its expanded and reinvigorated open space. It is Darling Harbour’s most exciting renewal in 25 years. Work on the new public spaces commenced in March 2015, and will open in stages from December 2015. Tumbalong Park is scheduled to be completed in early December 2015.

SOUTHERN CBD PRECINCT UNDER DEVELOPMENT

The transformation of Darling Harbour is part of a larger southern CBD precinct redevelopment that will expand on the creative and cultural hubs around Ultimo, Chippendale and Pyrmont by 2018.

Key developments already underway include The City Campus Master Plan for the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), which is expected to contribute an estimated $3.2 billion to the NSW economy. An architectural highlight is the Frank Gehry-designed Dr Chau Chak Wing Building which opened in February 2015. Also in Ultimo, the New York-style Goods Line Project will see a corridor of disused railway land converted into an urban park and public space, including bike paths, study pods and outdoor workspaces. The existing goods line is four metres above ground, running 500m from Central Station to Darling Harbour and is expected to open in 2015.

SYDNEY AIRPORT

A major development plan for Sydney Airport includes: ground transport improvements for the T2/T3 precinct that will streamline traffic flow; a purpose-built ground transport interchange to accommodate public buses, coaches and cars; and expanded pedestrian and cycle infrastructure to encourage active transport and improve safety. The first stage of the works began earlier this year.

To minimise disruption to passengers, the works will be staged over 20 months, with the first completed areas to open towards the end of 2015.

In addition, more check-in capacity, improved passenger circulation and a new food court will open in 2015 and 2016 as part of a major transformation of Sydney Airport’s T1 landside departures area. Check-in counters have been extended to accommodate more passengers as well as more places to eat.

Major works to improve traffic flow in and around the precinct have also continued throughout 2015. They included a new, faster public pick up zone to provide motorists with a more convenient area to collect passengers; a new centre road to improve traffic circulation; dedicated car park exits for city and west/southbound traffic; and relocation of car park entry and exit boom gates to streamline traffic flow around the precinct. Stage Two improvements this year include an expanded T1 taxi holding bay, improved limousine and hire car facilities.

BARANGAROO

The Barangaroo Project is a major new central Sydney development located on a 22-hectare site on the western harbour foreshore of the CBD. It is destined to become the city’s financial and business hub, reborn as a thriving public, residential and commercial precinct, complete with a waterfront promenade, running the length of the site.

Incorporating a major new Headland Park, Barangaroo is an ambitious and significant waterfront redevelopment. Over time, 23,000 people will live and work at Barangaroo, while 33,000 people are expected to visit Barangaroo each day by 2022.

The site is comprised of three zones. Barangaroo South will be a major business, tourism, residential and retail precinct that opens onto a public harbourfront promenade and includes a new hotel. The first of three commercial towers will open later this year.

Barangaroo Central will be used for recreation, events, festivals, entertainment and leisure activities. It will include 2.6 hectares of public space, with the promenade completing one of the world’s great waterfront walks, stretching 14km from Woolloomooloo to Anzac Bridge. Headland Park is another beautiful harbour park for Sydneysiders and visitors. It’s part of the third site, Barangaroo Point Reserve.

A six-star, ultra-luxe hotel is proposed at Barangaroo. James Packer’s Crown Group plans to build what he has termed “the best hotel in the world”, with an estimated cost of $1.3 billion.

OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS ■ A $10 million upgrade to refurbish one of Sydney’s most

recognisable buildings, Bondi Pavilion, will be undertaken as part of the Bondi Park, Beach and Pavilion 10-year Plan of Management.

■ A new major luxury residential, retail and hotel redevelopment at prime Circular Quay office block Gold Fields House is planned. Demolition work is expected to begin in 2017.

■ The Bays Precinct, located just two kilometres west of the Sydney CBD, will revitalise Sydney’s inner harbour area. New housing, recreation space, retail, tourism, commercial and maritime use will co-exist along more than 5.5km of waterfront land as part of the city’s largest single urban renewal program since the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

SYDNEY’S ACCOMMODATION SECTOR

Refurbishments, new openings and developments have featured recently on Sydney’s hotel scene.

Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Airport is a new full-service apartment hotel with fully-equipped kitchens, a restaurant and bar. Located close to Mascot train station, the hotel is within easy reach of Sydney’s top attractions. Another new airport

BONDI PAVILION

hotel, Travelodge Sydney Airport, is set to open in late 2016 with 209 rooms, car park and commercial space above the hotel. And Accor has announced it will open the $100 million five-star Pullman Sydney Airport in May 2016. The 229-room property will include a restaurant and bar, and conference facilities, and will be the first internationally branded five-star hotel in the international airport precinct.

In The Rocks, The Langham Sydney has recently reopened following a $30 million refurbishment, which included a new-look lobby, stunning dining areas, guestrooms and ballroom. A quirky addition is the Langham Pink Taxi, available to transport guests locally.

Sydney will gain its second luxe Sofitel hotel with the opening of Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour in 2017. Perched at the northern end of the International Convention Centre (ICC Sydney) and overlooking Cockle Bay, the 35-storey, 600-room property will be a centrepiece of the Darling Harbour redevelopment and support the adjacent convention centre.

Four Points by Sheraton Sydney has been undergoing a $160 million redevelopment as part of the revitalisation of the Darling Harbour precinct. The 683-room hotel is already the largest property in Sydney; a new tower will have 222 additional rooms, new conference facilities, plus food and beverage options. Aloft Sydney will open in November 2016 after the city’s iconic Druids House building in Pitt Street is transformed into a-state-of-the-art funky and affordable hotel. Located in the heart of Sydney’s vibrant ‘Koreatown’ district, the 136-room hotel will be the first in Starwood’s Aloft brand to open in Australia.

Barangaroo is a $6 billion central Sydney development on a 22ha site on the CBD’s western harbour foreshore with magnificent water views. At Barangaroo South, the six-star Crown Sydney will be a world-class hotel featuring 350 rooms and suites, luxury apartments, signature restaurants, bars, luxury retail outlets, pool and spa facilities, conference rooms and VIP gaming facilities.

Two smaller hotels have also opened recently. 57 Hotel Foveaux Street in Surry Hills has 92 rooms with a sleek 1970s-era design

matched by all the latest facilities. Base Sydney on Kent Street in the CBD has 19 double rooms in a stunning heritage building.

In the inner west, The Urban Newtown is a new boutique bolthole in the heart of funky Newtown; studio rooms with an industrial design fit-out are close to all the action on vibrant King Street. Set to launch as a new 62-room boutique hotel in July 2015, Chippendale’s Old Clare Hotel and Carlton United Brewery Administration Building are currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar overhaul. The venue will be home to several signature restaurants. Automata will be Clayton Wells’ first solo restaurant following stints at Momofuku Seiobo and Quay; Kensington Street Social will be Michelin-starred Jason Atherton’s first Australian venue; and Noma graduate, Sam Miller, will head up his first restaurant, Silvereye.

When QT Residences Bondi opens at Bondi Beach, it will be home to some very stylish apartments overlooking Australia’s most famous golden stretch of sand. The glamorous InterContinental Sydney Double Bay opened recently in the picturesque bayside neighbourhood, offering luxury and privacy at its finest. The property has brought a new lease of life to this cosmopolitan part of Sydney known for its boutique shopping, cafes, bars and restaurants. Sipping a cocktail on the rooftop bar is fast becoming a favourite Sydney activity.

Luxury boutique hotel brand, Spicers Retreats, will refurbish and rebrand the 25-room historic Victoria Court Hotel on one of Potts Point’s prettiest streets. The redevelopment will retain the property’s 19th-century heritage and character.

Several YHA hostels in NSW are undergoing renovations or upgrades this year, including Glebe Point YHA which is getting new solar panels, and Sydney Central YHA, which will see its cafe renovated.

TFE (Toga Far East) Hotels will build a new Vibe Hotel in North Sydney’s CBD. Due for completion in early 2017, the 188-room hotel follows the closure of Vibe North Sydney in Milsons Point on 31 March 2015.

THE HYDRO MAJESTIC OVERLOOKING MEGALONG VALLEY

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