31 July 2008
The Urban Taskforce today said the NSW Governments rethink on the amount of floor space at Barangaroo was good news for anyone keen to maintain Sydneys status as a world city.
Premier Iemma today said that his government is examining an option to increase the potential floor space in the southern part of Barangaroo from 400,000 to 520,000 square metres.
Its great that the government is committed to making Sydney the leading financial services hub of the Asia-Pacific region, Mr Gadiel said.
Mr Gadiel said that this was a perfect opportunity to further consider other issues concerning the design of Barangaroo.
Barangaroo should be a living example of the kind of compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use neighbourhood essential to the future of our city.
Its crucial that workplaces, shopping, and recreation areas should all be within walking distance of each other. The proposed 11 hectares parkland is to be at the northern end of the site, while the highest buildings are clumped together at the southern end.
The design of the site would be improved by more evenly distributing the parkland and new homes and workplaces.
This would allow office workers, residents and visitors to move easily between buildings and the public open space. It will also create more potential for a more dynamic urban environment featuring cafes, restaurants and wine bars.
Open space should be safe and active and not just wasteland and unusable.
Mr Gadiel also urged to government to avoid limiting any increase in floor space to commercial use only.
Higher density residential buildings will inject life into the area, locate more people close to their work and ease the strain on Sydneys transport system, he said. Mr Gadiel said the industry strongly supported the Barangaroo development.
The Urban Taskforce is a property development industry group, representing Australias most prominent property developers and equity financiers.
