‘Missing piece’: Work starts on divisive $2b Harbourside redevelopment
By Megan Gorrey
The $2 billion Harbourside development in Sydney will retain the name of the outdated shopping centre it’s set to replace, but bear little resemblance to the complex that has been reduced to rubble.
Mirvac’s chief executive of development, Stuart Penklis, spruiked the divisive project as the “critical missing piece” in the NSW government’s $15 billion overhaul of the harbour front west of the CBD.
The plans include shops, eateries and offices beneath a 42-storey luxury apartment tower.Credit: Mirvac
Seven months after retailers moved out, and bulldozers rolled in, construction on Mirvac’s massive mixed-use complex comprising shops, offices, and a 42-storey apartment tower started on Thursday.
“The new Harbourside will reimagine the Darling Harbour waterfront, reconnect the people and places of Pyrmont, and create a network of new public spaces to bring together community, visitors, residents and workers,” Penklis said.
The redeveloped precinct is due to open from 2026.
Mirvac faced stiff opposition from locals and the City of Sydney for its bid to overhaul the 1980s Harbourside Shopping Centre, which has been gradually demolished since January, with the sprawling high-rise complex.
In 2021, the Independent Planning Commission approved Mirvac’s proposal with conditions to mitigate concerns the tower would overshadow the waterfront promenade, constrict access to public space, and disrupt views.
Architecture firms Snøhetta and Hassell, together with Indigenous design firm Djinjama, won an international design competition to transform 240 metres of waterfront with restaurants, bars, shops, offices, a residential tower and 10,000 square metres of public space. The plans include a new 3500 square metre park and improved pedestrian connections between the harbour front and Pyrmont.
Penklis said the company was focused on creating a “legacy project” for Sydney.
“I think we’ve come a long way from the 1980s [with] the importance of connection to Country, the quality of materials, design excellence, and an international design competition,” he said.
The plans attracted opposition from nearby residents who feared the tower would overshadow the waterfront and encroach on harbour views.Credit: Mirvac
Queen Elizabeth II opened Harbourside during bicentennial celebrations in 1988.
Mirvac will retain the Harbourside moniker to acknowledge “the nearly 40 years it has played in the cultural life of Sydney, as the backdrop to many of the city’s most significant celebratory moments”.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said Harbourside was an important site that was connected to childhood memories and a sense of nostalgia for many residents of Sydney and NSW.
“The rebuilt version that commences today will be an important and exciting part of Sydney for future [generations] to visit.
Work begins at Harbourside on Thursday.Credit: Oscar Colman
“It also shows the continuing evolution of Sydney, of its important public places and developments.”
Darling Harbour has been designated for a major transformation triggered by the completion of the International Convention Centre Sydney in 2016. The former Coalition government had earmarked the area west of the CBD, including the Pyrmont peninsula, for more intensive development.
Nearby, the new Sydney IMAX theatre and Marriott’s W Hotel are due to open at Darling Harbour later this year. There are also plans to raze Cockle Bay Wharf and build a 183-metre office tower.
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