Towers over 300m high in Sydney vision

The biggest revamp of the CBD’s skyline since the 1970s involves putting offices up in the air to boost the city’s economy and employment.

Under the City of Sydney’s 20-year development strategy for Central Sydney, commercial blocks would be allowed to be built higher than 300m – a dramatic 24-storey increase on the city’s current tallest commercial building, Chifley Tower, which stands at 216m.

The Central Sydney Planning Strategy is the most detailed review of CBD development in four decades.

Under the plan business will go upwards while the commercial core of the CBD will also grow west towards Barangaroo and south to Belmore Park near Central Station.

“Central Sydney has limited capacity to grow north, west and east because of its natural geography and harbour surrounds … which limits potential future renewal,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said on Thursday.

The priority on business comes as residential developments have encroached upon the city’s “productive” space.

“We need to protect and increase the amount of productive floor space to maintain Sydney’s economic vitality and resilience,” Mayor Moore said.

The city says it’s identified locations where “tower clusters” of buildings reaching 300m or higher could be built without too much shadow and blocking of sunlight.

Current local environment plans restrict building heights to 235m, but individual buildings have been able to negotiate heights with the City of Sydney.

All new towers will also have to go through a competition process to meet design standards, the council says.

The plan has already received positive responses from the government of NSW Premier Mike Baird, the Department of Planning and the Sydney Business Chamber, the council has confirmed.

THE POINTY END OF TOWN

Sydney Tower, 309m

Chifley Tower, 244m

Citigroup Centre, 243m

Deutsche Bank Place, 240m,

World Tower, 230m

MLC Centre, 228m

Barangaroo South Tower One, 217m

Online Source

The Indian Telegraph Sydney Austrlaia