The Star's $530 million Pyrmont casino tower rejected by NSW planning commission
The Star's gamble on a $530 million luxury casino and apartment tower in Pyrmont has not paid off, with the controversial plans rejected by the state's planning commission.
The Independent Planning Commission has ruled against the 237-metre tower saying it was "inconsistent with current strategic planning for the site and locality and fails to promote the orderly use and development of land".
The latest ruling aligns with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment's negative assessment of the plan, which found the tower would be "inconsistent with its immediate context" and "result in unacceptable visual impacts due to its scale, isolation and visual dominance of the existing Pyrmont character and fails to promote good design and amenity of the built environment".
The tower has split commentators, with tourism and business groups supporting the plans which included a luxury 220-room Ritz-Carlton hotel and 204 residential apartments. Even Premier Gladys Berejiklian threw her support behind the project, describing Pyrmont as "the new gateway" to Sydney's CBD and ordering the Greater Sydney Commission to complete a snap review of Pyrmont's planning controls to make sure they were "consistent with the government's vision for its future".
Some residents, architects and the City of Sydney argued the project was out of character with the neighbourhood.
Sheridan Randall, 20th November 2019
