19 June 2025
The NSW Independent Planning Commission (Commission) has today approved, with conditions, the Harbourside Shopping Centre Redevelopment – Public Domain and Bridges (SSD-49653211), located within the Darling Harbour Precinct of the City of Sydney (Google Maps location).
The applicant, Mirvac Retail Sub SPV Pty Ltd, sought planning approval for the construction, fit-out, and operation of the public domain components of the broader Harbourside Redevelopment. These works align with the Concept Approval for a mixed-use residential and commercial tower/podium building envelope, with associated public open space and landscaping (SSD-7874), approved by the Commission on 25 June 2021.
The Project is the third development application for physical works consistent with the Concept Approval.
This State significant development (SSD) application was referred to the Independent Planning Commission for determination because more than 50 public objections were made to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure during its assessment of the Project.
The Commission Panel, comprising Andrew Mills (Commission and Panel Chair), Richard Pearson and Shelley Penn AM, met with community members and key stakeholders, conducted a site inspection, and reviewed 16 written submissions received during public consultation.
In its Statement of Reasons for Decision, the Commission found that “the Project is consistent with the Concept Approval for the Site (as modified) (SSD-7874) and relevant statutory requirements.”
The Commission concluded that the Project is in the public interest and accords with the objects of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
Key community concerns included potential impacts from the proposed pedestrian bridges, noise, view loss, landscaping, and public safety. The Commission has imposed a range of conditions of consent designed to prevent, mitigate and manage these impacts and to ensure appropriate ongoing monitoring and oversight.
These conditions include:
- A detailed Events and Operational Management Plan for the Waterfront Garden, outlining permitted passive uses and arrangements for security and maintenance staff.
- In consultation with the Project’s Design Integrity Panel, an updated landscape plan must be prepared, detailing earthworks and soil mounding heights that are consistent with the technical documentation forming part of the development consent.
- A requirement to verify, at each stage, compliance with the recommendations of the Wind Impact Assessment.
All documentation relating to the assessment and determination of the Project can be found on the Commission’s website: https://www.ipcn.nsw.gov.au/cases/harbourside-shopping-centre-redevelopment-public-domain-and-bridges.
Disclaimer
This media statement has been prepared by the Commission’s media unit for general information only. It does not form part of the Commission’s Statement of Reasons for Decision, and should not be read as part of, or as a substitute for, that Statement of Reasons for Decision.