The City of Sydney has endorsed new planning controls for Pyrmont and Ultimo that are set to exceed state housing and job targets while prioritising urban design excellence, heritage conservation, and enhanced public spaces.
The proposals, developed following extensive community consultation, build on the NSW government’s Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy, which set goals of 4,000 new homes and 23,000 jobs ahead of the metro station opening in early 2030.
The City of Sydney’s revised framework goes further, enabling up to 4,800 homes and 27,000 jobs through carefully calibrated zoning changes.
Rather than implementing uniform increases across the precinct, city planners adopted a site-specific approach to density and building heights.
This micro-zoning model focuses development in areas best suited to accommodate growth while retaining distinctive neighbourhood character.
The process drew on in-depth feedback from residents, ratepayers, and key stakeholders in Pyrmont and Ultimo.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO said the City’s work had balanced community priorities with state planning objectives.
“This has been a complex process,” she said.
“It was vital for us to listen to and advocate for good outcomes for our Pyrmont and Ultimo communities while enabling an increase in housing supply.”
The endorsed planning framework includes a range of design priorities intended to guide development consistent with the area’s built form.
These include deeper soil zones for tree planting, improved open spaces, reduced overshadowing, and integration of architectural solutions to address wind and noise.
The plan also safeguards key heritage assets and ensures land uses remain complementary to their surrounding context.
“This approach meant we were able to develop a plan that exceeds government targets while focusing on priority areas for our communities, such as enabling more green and open spaces, and minimising overshadowing,” Moore said.
Urban designers working on the strategy emphasised that accommodating density in Pyrmont and Ultimo relies on reinforcing the peninsula’s visual and spatial identity.
The proposed densities are concentrated along corridors with access to future public transport and active travel networks, reducing pressure on existing streetscapes.
The planning changes also encourage mixed-use residential development at 1–27 Murray Street, 46–48 Pyrmont Bridge Road and 13A–29 Union Street, each selected for proximity to commercial activity and infrastructure capacity.
These sites are expected to foster walkable communities integrating living, working, and leisure spaces in a cohesive urban design framework.
The City of Sydney’s planners incorporated community feedback to refine proposals, demonstrating how grass-roots participation continues to shape the city’s architectural growth model.
The measures align with sustainable design principles, advancing the city’s goal of a greener, climate-resilient inner harbour precinct.
Complementing the redevelopment vision, the City has reiterated its call for Wentworth Park to be returned to full public use once the Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association’s lease expires in September 2027.
The One Park for Everyone plan envisions expanded public open space to support the incoming wave of residents and workers.
“The return of the Wentworth Park greyhound track as public open space is critical,” Moore said.
“We must support increased density with adequate access to parkland.”
Council estimates that the proposed planning shifts could generate around $5 billion in additional economic output, underpinning Pyrmont and Ultimo’s transition into a more connected, sustainable and architecturally cohesive harbour precinct.
The proposals now await NSW government gateway determination.
