The new Sydney Fish Market - Stage 2

I am a member of Glebe Rowing Club (GRC), an amateur, volunteer based rowing club that has operated on the water of Blackwattle Bay since 1879. The Bay is our home and we rely on safe water conditions for our 150 members to continue to use the water.

I support the overall Fish Markets development as a positive for the local community and Sydney residents and visitors. It is an amazing opportunity to open up the land around Blackwattle Bay for use by the community.

I object to some important aspects of the proposed development and request:

- improved analysis of the impact on water traffic be undertaken and factored into the design and Master Plan;

- modifications be made to the design of the Eastern Wharf to ensure the safety of rowers; and

- the implementation of necessary safety provisions during the early works project into the construction contract to ensure the safety of water users during the long construction phase.

I have provided more detail on these concerns in this attachment prepared by my club

see letter attached

I live within 500 metres of the proposed fish market site and oppose the development of the fish market as it’s currently outlined in the Development Application.
The reasons and my comments are as follows:

Insufficient public transport:
• 6 million visitors are projected to visit the new fish market p.a. – double the visitors now,
• The addition of >2,500 units will increase density markedly,
• The existing light rail is already at overcapacity,
• Peak hour morning traffic is already congested on Pyrmont Bridge Road next to the fish markets and will get much worse once the new markets are built,
• The environmental impact statement mentions investigating bus routes but there is no detail.
FIX: We need a detailed plan for much-improved public transport (regular ferries, buses and possibly heavy rail) to support the new fish market and additional units.

Parking spaces:
• Only 417 parking spaces are proposed at the fish market. This will mean a lot of people will park in Glebe/ Pyrmont residential streets – we already experience this problem now.
• The are no parking spots for tour buses.
FIX: Deliver a detailed plan for parking and enforcing parking laws.

Insufficient public access to green spaces:
• There will be insufficient public spaces when >2,500 units are built on, and adjacent to, the current fish market site.
FIX: Provide a comprehensive plan on the inclusion of green spaces, especially with relation to the extra density caused by building >2,500 units.

No consideration of >2,500 units
• Public consultation doesn’t include this, yet building so many units will greatly impact the new fish markets and nearby resident (as already mentioned above).
FIX: Include the building of >2,500 units in the public consultation. We all know that the financial viability of the new fish market proposal is dependant on the units so it’s not fair to exclude their major impact.

I would support a new fish market development plan if the above items are adequately fixed.

I have been sailing and kayaking for over 45 years and make regular use of Blackwattle Bay. My sons have recently completed the Learn to Row course run by the Glebe Rowing Club. The club has been in existence for 140 years, and provides important community access to one of the few remaining waterways close to the city where rowers, dragon-boaters and beginner kayakers can practice and develop their skills.
I object in particular to one aspect of the proposal which can be readily rectified. The Eastern Wharf projects far too far into the Bay. As currently proposed it interferes unreasonably with the reasonable use of the waterway by, and the safety of, non-motorised watercraft. It could be readily be redesigned in conjunction with the demolition of the existing wharf, for example by shortening its excessive length which unnecessarily sterilises a significant part of the public waterway. The impact of the wharf is understated and misrepresented in the Navigation Assessment, Appendix 9 to the EIS, where it is stated that the Glebe Rowing Club pontoon "will not be impacted by the proposal as it is approximately 70m away from closest proposed wharf". It is not just a question of built structures and engineering, but of the use of a constricted waterway which will be made by large ferries and other motorised craft, to the risk and detriment of the large number of existing non-motorised craft. Currently the rowing course goes further into the Bay near the fish markets than suggested in the Navigation Assessment.
Map 3 of the Navigation Assessment marks the area of water penned off by the Eastern Wharf as "Recreation Open Water". This area is sterilised from existing recreational use and is hardly "open". Perhaps a shortened, redesigned Eastern Wharf could use part of this area; motorised craft can manoeuvre far more easily than rowing and dragon boats.

Hands Off Glebe Inc.
[incorporating The Glebe Grapevine]
PO Box 145
Glebe NSW 2037
T: 0418 290 663
E: [email protected]
www.handsoffglebe.org

Submission by Hands off Glebe Inc on
Stage 1, SSD 8924, Concept Development Application and early works and
Stage 2, SSD 8925, Construction and operation of a new Fish Market

A number of difficulties arise in responding to the two DAs because significant areas are the subject of plans which have yet to be developed. These include, for example, a construction noise and vibration management plan and a sedimentation and erosion control plan. The documents also state that as “the project is at development application stage, details of equipment to be used, work methodologies to be employed and phasing are not known yet”.
In addition, the place of the projected new fish markets is nowhere related to other developments in the Bays Precinct that are being pushed independently without any consideration of their cumulative impact on our community.
The NSW Port Authority has proposed a multi-use facility on Glebe Island to bring building materials into Sydney by sea. The facility will operate 24/7. Combined with the Hanson concrete batching facility, also planned to move to Glebe Island, residents can expect constant noise, dust and air pollution, ships running generators while berthed and 1,200 two-way truck movements per day causing congestion on local streets. White Bay will be the main construction site for the Western Harbour Tunnel. It will be used for a casting plant to fabricate the large concrete sections used in the undersea tunnels and a dumping ground for over half-a-million cubic metres of contaminated toxic sediment dredged from the harbour.
These developments will affect Blackwattle Bay and may well render the fish market DA estimations of such matters as contamination, waste, air quality and noise inaccurate and obsolete.
Infrastructure NSW is in the process of preparing a master plan but consultation on the plan will occur in 2020 and lodgement in late 2020, too late to inform responses to the fish market DAs.
NOISE
A noise assessment found that any increase in noise associated with the operation of the new Sydney Fish Market during retail hours will be within acceptable limits.
We will implement measures recommended by an acoustic consultant to minimise noise at the loading dock, where modelled levels were found to exceed acceptable levels.
TRAFFIC
Hands off Glebe Inc welcomes and supports the aim of “encouraging alternate low carbon means of transportation to and from the New Sydney Fish Market” and that a “high degree of accessibility is to be provided to places in and outside City West for both able and disabled persons“.
However there are concerns about some aspects of the traffic assessments and planning, particularly the decision to leave development of a “precinctwide parking and transport mobility strategy” to an unspecified time in the future.
Accessibility: The DAs suggest that the site for the new fish market is “in easy walking distance” of 250m to 400m from three light rail stations at Glebe, Wentworth Park and the Fish Market Station. However 400m is not an easy walk for families with young children, the elderly or the disabled. The DA relies on the proposed Sydney Metro West Station for the Bays Precinct, but does not confirm its location. It is understood it will be located near Rozelle which would be a considerable walk to the new location.
Demand: Traffic modelling in the DAs claims that key intersections in the vicinity of the new Sydney Fish Market site will operate at the same level of service compared to existing conditions with no more a 5% increase in traffic flows compared to current levels. This prediction is hard to accept, given the predicted increase of visitors from three to six million over the next 10 years. In addition the modelling fails to mention the construction of 2,700 or more apartments on the present fish market site. Both the construction phase and the needs of the new residents will inevitably place additional demands on the road network. As a result the projected statistics for the transport networks seem likely to be wrong.
Parking: Local streets may suffer from considerable pressure for parking as a result of the new fish market development. The DAs propose that parking demands during peak periods will be managed by using off-street car parks. Coaches will be required to park and wait off site on nearby streets such as Bank Street, Wattle Street and Wentworth Park Road. The DAs do not offer a solution to what may well become a serious local problem.
Buses: The DAs state that “Whilst there are no bus routes that provide direct access to the site, Bus routes 389 and 501 stop along Harris Street approximately 420m walking distance from the site.” This is too far for many visitors to walk. It is a matter of considerable concern that plans to provide adequate bus services are to be the subject of future planning with no date specified. The DA states that “the NSW Government is working with a range of stakeholders on a precinct wide parking and transport mobility strategy for the future”. However, as the major attraction point for millions of visitors in addition to growing numbers of residents, the fish market should be serviced by generous bus services planned from the outset of the planning process for the development.
CONTAMINATION
There is considerable difficulty in assessing the possible impact of the development on biodiversity or natural qualities of the harbour as the two DAs include a number of contradictory statements. These include the following statements that: “There would be no direct or indirect impacts to threatened aquatic species, populations or ecological communities or their habitat as a result of the project.” “The site is located within an area of ‘high probability’ of acid sulfate soil within bottom sediments. In such areas, there is the potential for environmental risk if bottom sediments are disturbed by activities such as dredging, piling and pile removal.” “… there would still be an overall net loss of key fish habitat.”
It is not clear if we can accept the statement: “the risks posed by contamination can be managed in such a way as to be adequately protective of human health and the environment.
WASTE
While the target of diverting 80% of waste from demolition activities and 90% of waste from construction activities away from landfill is laudable, it is not clear what alternative disposal methods are to be used for disposal of the demolition and construction waste. A statement that “All waste will be managed appropriately in accordance with strict guidelines” is not acceptable – what management and what guidelines?
NOISE
The new fish market and the wharves and operations parking would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Upper level retail and food and the mezzanine office area and Sydney Seafood School would operate from 7am to 10pm Sundays to Thursdays and 7am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. It is unclear and a matter of considerable concern what the noise implications across 24 hours of operation will be for local residents and particularly for the school campus adjacent to the site.
CONSULTATION
The range of organisations consulted during the process of planning for the new fish market is impressive. However, there are a number of concerns here too. Hands off Glebe Inc received complaints that during community events requests for specific information were consistently met with vague answers about “visions”. The creation of one on one forums were also felt to be manipulative, not allowing community information and support. Hands off Glebe has some specific concerns. Hands off Glebe Inc conducted a community survey in 2017. 6,000 copies of the Grapevine containing the survey were letterboxed across Glebe and Ultimo and the survey was also available online. Using the results from the survey, Hands Off Glebe drafted a Community Master Plan which includes 15 priorities for the Bays Precinct development. An open consultation on the draft Plan was facilitated through a community meeting on July 12. The meeting confirmed that there was overall community support for the 15 priorities with some minor changes. The Community Master Plan was sent to UrbanGrowth but there has never been any acknowledgement, public or private, of its conclusions. We also query the report in the DAs on a Hands off Glebe public forum in April this year that listed community views as “questions”, effectively silencing the community voice.

Refer to attachment

I, like many Glebe (& Sydney) residents, support the proposal for a redevelopment of the Sydney Fish Markets on its current location. However, I have grave concerns for what is now envisaged/outlined in the proposed redevelopment on the new market site.

My objections are as follows:

Environmental
Building on the proposed site entails disturbing existing sediments known to contain numerous toxins. The inherent financial costs of such an operation together with contamination risks to our (heartening) re-establishing marine life in Blackwattle Bay far outweigh any proposed benefits.

Disregard for equality of access for people with mobility issues
I have a physical disability and use an electric wheelchair for mobility purposes. A large building encroaching on potentially linked paved open space around the harbour foreshore can only be described as restrictive and exclusive. The foreshore is to be accessed only by entering the building, using the stairs and/or lifts, to reach the promenade. I do not experience lifts as providing access. In fact, they can be exclusionary, often placed in corners of reduced visibility away from where people gather. Sometimes heavy or closed doors are another barrier to reaching a lift. Lifts can also be in disrepair if not well maintained.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 requires that people with disabilities have independent, equitable and dignified access on the same terms as people without disability. What I have seen outlined in the current redevelopment proposal does not adequately address access design standards. I believe all new major developments ought to reflect design excellence in all aspects of its proposal, including location, waste management & sustainability, and equitable access.

Indifference to safeguarding/enhancing the natural amenity of the area
The documentation wrongly claims this proposal provides unrestricted access to the foreshore. Access is compromised by poor decision-making be it re-location (inappropriate), positioning (encroaching upon open bay waters), design choices (e.g. stairs, lifts), restrictive features (i.e. access limited to a promenade)
We have here an opportunity to consolidate, enhance and link up our current harbour-side green spaces; the foreshore walkways sweeping around Blackwattle Bay could provide a spacious, continuous corridor that opens out onto the tree-aligned Wentworth Park space and, more broadly, link Glebe to Rozelle and Pyrmont communities. This current development proposal has abandoned the long-held vision of acquiring/reclaiming harbour shoreline areas as open accessible green spaces for public use.

Parking Issues & Traffic Congestion
The strategy to promote the use of public transport/maintain car spaces at current level is positive. However, major concerns remain as to impact of excessive demand for parking in already stretched residential streets of Glebe & Pyrmont. The bottleneck shall only intensify at the main entry/exit point to the proposed site. The modelling cited throughout the development proposals lacks any standards of validity given projections failure to address whatever (major) redevelopment is proposed for the current fish market location.

I am most concerned that the information provided by the architects at the Community consultations is now not being adhered to in the DA.
The architects advised the community that the building height would be in line with the tops of the fig trees opposite the site. The DA states the fig trees are at RL + 25.4m and the building will be RL +28.0m. This clearly goes against what was advised.
I believe there is no good reason to extend the height above tree line and above any structures that will be surrounding the site once the concrete plant is removed. There is no need for such massively elevated ceiling heights such as are currently being proposed.
I am attaching a photo from our location. You will immediately see that the proposed development almost to the height of the concrete batching plant will have a very dramatic impact to us and will not be proportionate to it's surroundings.

This is not a comment I object to the proposal
Why should public land and therefore recreational space be swallowed up for a commercial operation or retail precinct?
The proposed new Fish Market (FM) will have a major impact on the marine life due to overshadowing of the structure on the water and disturbing existing pollution. The bottom of the bay is heavily polluted with lead, mercury and other chemicals which will cause a toxic plume into the surrounding bays.
Historical connection between Blackwattle Bay and Wentworth Park will be lost for ever.
The vistas from Glebe Point down Blackwattle Bay to the State Heritage listed Light-rail / goods railway line over to the Central Station clock tower
will be lost forever. The view to the WWI planting of fig trees will be blocked out by the new FM.
The increase size of the FM, the increase hours of operation will impact greatly on congestion in the narrow streets of Glebe
There is only a lay-by for buses they will be forced to park in the narrow streets of Glebe which will cause traffic flow issues and
damage to street trees.
If the FM moves then Glebe Light Rail station will be the closest which is not fit for people with disabilities and mobility issues.
The noise from the FM, trucks and air conditioning will cause increased noise problems for those living on the Glebe escarpment above Blackwattle Bay.
The current FM site is proposed to have up to 2750 apartments built on it but the State Gov failed to provide this in any of it's literature this will mean
a loss of views from the foreshore walk and from many homes in Glebe of the view of the Sydney CBD.
The new underground car park has less spaces than currently available but you predict a doubling of numbers within the first year. Without any
greater provision of public transport beyond the already over subscribed light rail how does the Gov proposal to move theses people without
further impacting on the already congested roads? The parking entry point is on the corner of Pyrmont Bridge Rd and Wentworth Bay Rd, this
area is already at virtual grid lock from 3.30pm until 6.30pm. With this new FM to have increased trading hours and a dining experience people
coming into the area at this time of peak hour will cause further major traffic congestion in the area. The streets of Glebe will be grid lock and many
streets with after hours parking and weekend parking for locals will be lost.
Why not relocate the FM to White Bay near the proposed new Railway station and into an area that is easier for car access
Repair the Glebe Island swing bridge for both foot and bike traffic which will help to open up new modes of transport and revitalise an area of
Sydney harbour which is a disgrace. Why won't the State Gov show long term planning on logical world class urban design?
Why is there no long term master plan for the whole precinct that is both world class, invigorating and demonstrating leadership.
What a mess and a disgrace

see attachment

We object to this DA for the same reasons as we objected to the related stage 1: Sydney Fish Market Concept development application.
The reasons outlined in that submission concern:
TRANSPORT, TRAFFIC, LOCAL PARKING, AND PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE FORESHORE

I object to the construction of the proposed building due to
1 height & bulk of building restricting amenity -views /access of community members using Wentworth Park & Blackwattle Bay Foreshore for walking/bike riding & passive recreation
2 On going damage to the environment with release of heavy metals present in the bay which will be detremental to any improvement of the local ecosystem-birds /sea life.
3 In adequate transport resulting in overcrowding of existing transport - light rail already at peak capacity at peak times of day
4.too much commercial space - it is a fish market - why not promote this aspect
5 No reason to move the market from existing site except to make money & put apartments in its place .We are missing an opportunity to develope Blackwattle Bay for public recreational use & improve the amenity of the area

PDCN believes the proposed design for the new Sydney Fish Markets discriminates against people with disability, and does not provide dignified, independent or equitable access for all. The attached submission outlines our concerns.

I am an active member of Glebe Rowing Club (GRC); an amateur, volunteer based rowing club that has operated on the water of Blackwattle Bay since 1879. The Bay is our home and we rely on safe water conditions for our 150 members to continue to use the water safely and appropriately. We include rowers from beginners to elite, young people to much older people and use the Bay every day of the year.
I support the overall Fish Markets development as a positive for the local community and Sydney residents and visitors. It is an amazing opportunity to open up the land around Blackwattle Bay for use by the community.

There are some important aspects of the proposed development I object to and request:
- improved analysis of the impact on water traffic be undertaken and factored into the design and Master Plan;
- modifications be made to the design of the Eastern Wharf to ensure the safety of rowers; and
- the implementation of necessary safety provisions during the early works project into the construction contract to ensure the safety of water users during the long construction phase.

I have provided more detail on these concerns in this attachment prepared by my club.
Thank you for considering our concerns

We have provided a letter in support.

Letter of support provided.

Submission document attached.