Friends of Barangaroo

Should planning approval for White Bay be denied, or made conditional with certain factors, then there is no reason why Barangaroo should not continue as the preferred destination of cruise ships. We believe it is premature to propose a second or alternate site as a cruise ship terminal and request that determination of the White Bay application be deferred until such time as Barangaroo has received its determination.

Location

The proposed location is adjacent a suburban residential area and remote from the CBD. The cruise ships need to negotiate several turns to secure their berth, churning up the harbour and causing unsightly discolouration as they do so.

The use of Circular Quay and Barangaroo as terminals for cruise ships is the preferred choice of visiting tourists, as the Sydney CBD is within walking of both terminals. Tourists wishing to visit the CBD will encounter several transport difficulties if their ship is berthed at White Bay.

Transportation

The challenge of transporting tourists from White Bay to their preferred destination, Sydney CBD, is significant. It appears that there may be two methods for achieving this; firstly by road across Anzac Bridge, or secondly by tender across the harbour to King Street Wharf or Barangaroo.

The first option belies the government policy of reducing road transport, and the second delivers the tourists to a point at which they would have been if the terminal had not been relocated to White Bay.
Either way, it represents unnecessary use of fossil fuels as the terminals at Circular Quay and Barangaroo are far closer to the CBD which can be reached on foot from both terminals.

Tourism

For decades tourist passengers from cruise ships have been able to walk from their ship straight into Sydney CBD and enjoy the sights of the city. From Barangaroo this is still possible; from White Bay the walk into the CBD would be daunting.

This would surely have a detrimental effect on the appeal of Sydney as a destination, so the choice of White Bay as a terminal would be to discourage tourists from coming to Sydney – a self defeating exercise.

Environment

Cruise ships are great users of energy. Unfortunately this energy produces waste products which are unwanted, especially in residential areas.

Cruise ships at White Bay need to run their auxiliary engines constantly to maintain their mechanical and electrical systems, much to the discomfort of the surrounding residential areas of Pyrmont, Balmain and Rozelle. On a clear night, the sound of these engines travels across the water very easily and causes disturbance to residents over a very large radius.

Previous large shipping has been seen to disturb the harbour bottom as they manoeuvre for a berth, welling up large amounts of mud and marine plant life that remain visibly evident until the next change of tide. With the large number of ships expected, this disturbance of the harbour floor at Johnstons Bay and Elizabeth Macarthur Bay could become a permanent blight.

The proposed use for “functions, exhibitions and/or corporate events” on non-ship days is further potential for negative impact on the environment due to noise.

There are many reasons for objecting to the proposed terminal at White Bay, when for decades the location of a terminal at Barangaroo has served Sydney well and can continue to do so for many years. Since the approval of Lend Lease’s proposals for Barangaroo has not yet been received, and in their current form may never be received, it is presumptuous to propose alternate berthing for cruise ships.

Yours faithfully,

Walter Giles
Secretary, Friends of Barangaroo