The Sydney Superyacht Marina, which gained fame during the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Australia, has been approved for a multi-million-dollar expansion. But, not everyone is in favor of it.
In late November, Sydney’s Planning Assessment Commission signed off on a proposal put forth by developers to spend AUS$31 million (about US$32.46 million) to add to the existing footprint of the 24-berth megayacht marina. While more berths are not in the mix, the developers do wish to add bars and restaurants, office space, a yacht club, and a multi-level parking deck. Mark Carnegie, an investment banker who holds a stake in the plan, was quoted by media as saying that the Sydney Superyacht Marina needs to be redeveloped in keeping with the standard of other area properties. He adds, “As Chinese owners and other people in Asia buy superyachts…I think Sydney is going to become a really competitive destination.”
However, the Glebe Society, a local organization focused on preserving the waterfront and general character of the Sydney suburb named Glebe, is opposed to the marina’s expansion. Lesley Lynch, a spokesperson for the organization, told the Inner West Courier newspaper in December that “appalling” noise pollution and “unmanageable” traffic would result. Lynch added that it was a “one-off development” that lacked community input and needed a balance between “private benefit and public good.”
The potential expansion plans for the Sydney Superyacht Marina are not new. In early 2011, the Sydney Morning Herald stated that AUS$25 million (about US$25.3 million at the time) was proposed to add shops, restaurants, and more. Brian James, chairman of the Sydney Superyacht Marina Pty, which has been operating the facility since 2009, told the newspaper that the marina lacks some of the basics that other similar facilities have, like service and repair facilities, offices, and dormitory-like rooms for visiting yachts’ crewmembers. The video embedded at top shows what some of those plans look like.
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