Work on Headland Park at Sydney’s controversial Barangaroo development is about to get underway.
Construction and engineering company Laing O’Rourke has been appointed to undertake preliminary works in readiness for the construction of the main Headland Park.
Image of the planned Headland Park
“This is the first step towards creating the spectacular Headland Park designed by a team led by internationally renowned landscape architect Peter Walker, and refined following extensive community consultation,” said Mike Collins, Chairman of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority.
The new six hectare park planned disused harbour side site is expected to be ready for use in 2014.
The park would provide a new access to the harbour, the waterfront space including trees and plants, as well as a foreshore with accessible tidal rock pools. The aim of Walker and the team at Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW) of Sydney is to replicate the 1836 headland.
Walker said it was an unprecedented opportunity to reclaim the industrial waterfront.
“The Headland Park design will repair one of the greatest blights of the Sydney Harbour, creating a place that is as dignified and timeless as the Royal Botanic Gardens and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair,” he said.
“It will be a park based on the historic outline and form, yet will be a modern interpretation, designed with state of the art sustainability and up to date building practices.
“Under the Headland Park there will be also a dramatic 18,000 square metre space for cultural and civic activities.
“There are not many projects in the world that aspire to such a high set of goals,” he said.
Paul Keating, the chairman of Barangaroo’s Design Excellence Review Panel, commented: “Barangaroo has the benefit of the design expertise of one of the leading landscape architects of our time.
“Peter Walker has taken a vision for this park, studied the character and history of Sydney Harbour and is ensuring this park will take its place amongst the great headlands of Sydney, but importantly, in this case, at the city’s foot.
“The reinstatement of a green headland at Barangaroo will fulfil an historic opportunity to recreate the archipelago of headlands that once defined Sydney’s inner harbour. It is extremely pleasing to see this work is about to begin.”
An application for planning approval of the park design is currently before the NSW Department of Planning. Tenders for the main works to complete the Headland Park will be called later this year.
The latest computer generated imagery of Headland Park at Barangaroo
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