This area was meant to be redeveloped into community friendly recreational area. This project is exactly opposite of that. So many examples from USA show a very negative impact of data centres on water supplies, electricity grid and therefore on community. This project will not benefit overcorwded community of Wolli Creek. Land is being sold to property developers, more people move in, but there's not more facilities for people to relax and reacharge. This project is simply horrible.

To whom it may concern,
I am writing regarding the proposed redevelopment of Kogarah Golf Course.
Residents of Wolli Creek and Arncliffe deserve better we deserve community spaces not our limited space being used for purposes that will damage our already contaminated river.
As someone who values the Cooks River, I recognise this is a significant opportunity for Sydney. I am not opposed to redevelopment of the site. However, I believe a project of this scale should leave the Cooks River healthier than it found it.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to demonstrate that economic development and environmental restoration can go hand in hand.
I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal by including the following:
1. A meaningful contribution towards restoring the Cooks River
At approximately $2.9 billion, this is one of the largest developments proposed on the Cooks River.
Many major developments contribute towards local community infrastructure. A development of this scale should include a dedicated contribution towards restoring and enhancing the health of the Cooks River.
I encourage the establishment of a Cooks River Legacy Fund, supported through a meaningful developer contribution, to invest in long-term improvements to the river.
Such a fund could support initiatives including:
● Establishing a Cooks River Keeper or similar stewardship organisation to coordinate restoration and long-term management.
● Regular intensive river clean-up and maintenance programs.
● Removing ageing sheet piling with naturalised riverbanks.
● Restoration of saltmarsh, mangroves and other important habitats.
● Water quality improvement projects and stormwater treatment.
● Improved walking, cycling and paddling access.
● Community education and environmental monitoring.
This development should leave a positive environmental legacy for future generations.
2. A minimum 40 metre riparian corridor
A continuous minimum 40 metre riparian corridor should be provided along the full river frontage.
This would improve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, provide greater flood protection, improve water quality and create a far more attractive public waterfront.
3. Proper naturalisation of the river edge
The river should not be treated as the back boundary of an industrial development.
The development should include a commitment to naturalise the riverbank, replacing hard engineered edges with vegetation and habitat wherever feasible, while improving public access and ecological health.
4. Deliver public benefits first
Cycleways, walking paths, open space and public access to the river should be delivered early in the project rather than being deferred until the final stages.
Communities should begin benefiting from the development from the outset.
5. Better community and stakeholder engagement
I was surprised to learn that only 22 people participated in the stakeholder engagement sessions for a project of this scale.
The Cooks River catchment is home to hundreds of thousands of people and is used every day by walkers, cyclists, paddlers, birdwatchers, anglers and local families.
The next stages of planning should include more meaningful and ongoing engagement with the community, Traditional Owners, environmental organisations, recreational user groups, councils and local residents. Good engagement should continue throughout the detailed design and delivery of the project, not finish once the concept is approved.
6. Design excellence
Finally, I encourage the Department to ensure the development reflects the importance of its riverfront location through:
● High-quality architecture and urban design.
● Increased tree canopy.
● Buildings that address and celebrate the river rather than turning their backs on it.
● Active public spaces along the waterfront.
● Safe and attractive walking and cycling connections.
● Opportunities for people to access and enjoy the river.
Conclusion
Major developments should leave the places they touch better than they found them.
This proposal has the potential to become a benchmark for river-sensitive urban development in Sydney. I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal so that it delivers lasting environmental, recreational and community benefits alongside economic development.
Thank you for considering my submission.

To whom it may concern,
I am writing regarding the proposed redevelopment of Kogarah Golf Course.
As someone who values the Cooks River, I recognise this is a significant opportunity for Sydney. I am not opposed to redevelopment of the site. However, I believe a project of this scale should leave the Cooks River healthier than it found it.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to demonstrate that economic development and environmental restoration can go hand in hand.
I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal by including the following:
1. A meaningful contribution towards restoring the Cooks River
At approximately $2.9 billion, this is one of the largest developments proposed on the Cooks River.
Many major developments contribute towards local community infrastructure. A development of this scale should include a dedicated contribution towards restoring and enhancing the health of the Cooks River.
I encourage the establishment of a Cooks River Legacy Fund, supported through a meaningful developer contribution, to invest in long-term improvements to the river.
Such a fund could support initiatives including:
● Establishing a Cooks River Keeper or similar stewardship organisation to coordinate restoration and long-term management.
● Regular intensive river clean-up and maintenance programs.
● Removing ageing sheet piling with naturalised riverbanks.
● Restoration of saltmarsh, mangroves and other important habitats.
● Water quality improvement projects and stormwater treatment.
● Improved walking, cycling and paddling access.
● Community education and environmental monitoring.
This development should leave a positive environmental legacy for future generations.
2. A minimum 40 metre riparian corridor
A continuous minimum 40 metre riparian corridor should be provided along the full river frontage.
This would improve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, provide greater flood protection, improve water quality and create a far more attractive public waterfront.
3. Proper naturalisation of the river edge
The river should not be treated as the back boundary of an industrial development.
The development should include a commitment to naturalise the riverbank, replacing hard engineered edges with vegetation and habitat wherever feasible, while improving public access and ecological health.
4. Deliver public benefits first
Cycleways, walking paths, open space and public access to the river should be delivered early in the project rather than being deferred until the final stages.
Communities should begin benefiting from the development from the outset.
5. Better community and stakeholder engagement
I was surprised to learn that only 22 people participated in the stakeholder engagement sessions for a project of this scale.
The Cooks River catchment is home to hundreds of thousands of people and is used every day by walkers, cyclists, paddlers, birdwatchers, anglers and local families.
The next stages of planning should include more meaningful and ongoing engagement with the community, Traditional Owners, environmental organisations, recreational user groups, councils and local residents. Good engagement should continue throughout the detailed design and delivery of the project, not finish once the concept is approved.
6. Design excellence
Finally, I encourage the Department to ensure the development reflects the importance of its riverfront location through:
● High-quality architecture and urban design.
● Increased tree canopy.
● Buildings that address and celebrate the river rather than turning their backs on it.
● Active public spaces along the waterfront.
● Safe and attractive walking and cycling connections.
● Opportunities for people to access and enjoy the river.
Conclusion
Major developments should leave the places they touch better than they found them.
This proposal has the potential to become a benchmark for river-sensitive urban development in Sydney. I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal so that it delivers lasting environmental, recreational and community benefits alongside economic development.
Thank you for considering my submission.

I am writing as a resident of Bonar Street, Wolli Creek, to formally object to the master plan and associated development applications for the massive Cooks Cove multi-storey warehouse, logistics hub, and integrated data centre at 13-19A Marsh Street, Arncliffe.

As a resident living within the high-density Bonar Street Urban Renewal Area, my household will face severe local impacts that have not been adequately mitigated in the current state-level proposals:

1. Compounding Gridlock on the Princes Highway Corridor: Bonar Street is already subject to severe traffic bottlenecks when residents attempt to exit via local connectors onto the Princes Highway or towards the Marsh Street/M5 corridor. Introducing hundreds of continuous daily freight, B-double, and courier movements directly across the river will completely paralyse these intersections. The local road network is already at a failing level of service and cannot absorb a massive aviation-adjacent logistics hub without trapping Wolli Creek residents in localised gridlock.

Acoustic Penetration into High-Density Street Canyons: Bonar Street is characterised by multi-storey residential apartment blocks built close together. Industrial noise—specifically the continuous low-frequency drone from 24/7 data centre cooling towers and emergency generator testing across the river—will travel over the flat water of the Cooks River and channel directly down our street. This "canyon effect" will amplify the industrial hum, preventing residents from opening balconies or sleeping peacefully.

Cumulative Strains on the Local Electrical Grid: The Bonar Street precinct has undergone rapid high-density population growth, placing immense reliance on local utility sub-stations. An industrial data centre of this scale demands exponential power loads. I object to the allocation of immense power infrastructure to private data operations at the risk of local residential grid instability, blackouts, or network cost increases passed down to local Bayside utility consumers.

Destruction of the Cooks River Open Space Linkages: Our neighbourhood relies heavily on the pedestrian and cycling links connecting Bonar Street Park and Discovery Point to the Cooks River foreshore. Turning the former Kogarah Golf Course into a 12-storey industrial and data precinct replaces an irreplaceable green buffer zone with concrete warehouse massing, fundamentally degrading the microclimate and natural open space corridors that Wolli Creek families use daily.

The Department must protect the liveability of the rapidly growing Wolli Creek residential community. I request that the Department reject heavy industrial, high-emission data facilities at Cooks Cove, or mandate strict curfews on heavy vehicles, zero-fluid-discharge cooling systems, and sub-surface acoustically insulated infrastructure.

To whom it may concern,
I am writing regarding the proposed redevelopment of Kogarah Golf Course.
As someone who values the Cooks River, I recognise this is a significant opportunity for Sydney. I am not opposed to redevelopment of the site. However, I believe a project of this scale should leave the Cooks River healthier than it found it.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to demonstrate that economic development and environmental restoration can go hand in hand.
I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal by including the following:
1. A meaningful contribution towards restoring the Cooks River
At approximately $2.9 billion, this is one of the largest developments proposed on the Cooks River.
Many major developments contribute towards local community infrastructure. A development of this scale should include a dedicated contribution towards restoring and enhancing the health of the Cooks River.
I encourage the establishment of a Cooks River Legacy Fund, supported through a meaningful developer contribution, to invest in long-term improvements to the river.
Such a fund could support initiatives including:
● Establishing a Cooks River Keeper or similar stewardship organisation to coordinate restoration and long-term management.
● Regular intensive river clean-up and maintenance programs.
● Removing ageing sheet piling with naturalised riverbanks.
● Restoration of saltmarsh, mangroves and other important habitats.
● Water quality improvement projects and stormwater treatment.
● Improved walking, cycling and paddling access.
● Community education and environmental monitoring.
This development should leave a positive environmental legacy for future generations.
2. A minimum 40 metre riparian corridor
A continuous minimum 40 metre riparian corridor should be provided along the full river frontage.
This would improve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, provide greater flood protection, improve water quality and create a far more attractive public waterfront.
3. Proper naturalisation of the river edge
The river should not be treated as the back boundary of an industrial development.
The development should include a commitment to naturalise the riverbank, replacing hard engineered edges with vegetation and habitat wherever feasible, while improving public access and ecological health.
4. Deliver public benefits first
Cycleways, walking paths, open space and public access to the river should be delivered early in the project rather than being deferred until the final stages.
Communities should begin benefiting from the development from the outset.
5. Better community and stakeholder engagement
I was surprised to learn that only 22 people participated in the stakeholder engagement sessions for a project of this scale.
The Cooks River catchment is home to hundreds of thousands of people and is used every day by walkers, cyclists, paddlers, birdwatchers, anglers and local families.
The next stages of planning should include more meaningful and ongoing engagement with the community, Traditional Owners, environmental organisations, recreational user groups, councils and local residents. Good engagement should continue throughout the detailed design and delivery of the project, not finish once the concept is approved.
6. Design excellence
Finally, I encourage the Department to ensure the development reflects the importance of its riverfront location through:
● High-quality architecture and urban design.
● Increased tree canopy.
● Buildings that address and celebrate the river rather than turning their backs on it.
● Active public spaces along the waterfront.
● Safe and attractive walking and cycling connections.
● Opportunities for people to access and enjoy the river.
Conclusion
Major developments should leave the places they touch better than they found them.
This proposal has the potential to become a benchmark for river-sensitive urban development in Sydney. I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal so that it delivers lasting environmental, recreational and community benefits alongside economic development.
Thank you for considering my submission.

To whom it may concern,
I am writing regarding the proposed redevelopment of Kogarah Golf Course.
As someone who values the Cooks River, I recognise this is a significant opportunity for Sydney. I am not opposed to redevelopment of the site. However, I believe a project of this scale should leave the Cooks River healthier than it found it.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to demonstrate that economic development and environmental restoration can go hand in hand.
I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal by including the following:
1. A meaningful contribution towards restoring the Cooks River
At approximately $2.9 billion, this is one of the largest developments proposed on the Cooks River.
Many major developments contribute towards local community infrastructure. A development of this scale should include a dedicated contribution towards restoring and enhancing the health of the Cooks River.
I encourage the establishment of a Cooks River Legacy Fund, supported through a meaningful developer contribution, to invest in long-term improvements to the river.
Such a fund could support initiatives including:
● Establishing a Cooks River Keeper or similar stewardship organisation to coordinate restoration and long-term management.
● Regular intensive river clean-up and maintenance programs.
● Removing ageing sheet piling with naturalised riverbanks.
● Restoration of saltmarsh, mangroves and other important habitats.
● Water quality improvement projects and stormwater treatment.
● Improved walking, cycling and paddling access.
● Community education and environmental monitoring.
This development should leave a positive environmental legacy for future generations.
2. A minimum 40 metre riparian corridor
A continuous minimum 40 metre riparian corridor should be provided along the full river frontage.
This would improve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, provide greater flood protection, improve water quality and create a far more attractive public waterfront.
3. Proper naturalisation of the river edge
The river should not be treated as the back boundary of an industrial development.
The development should include a commitment to naturalise the riverbank, replacing hard engineered edges with vegetation and habitat wherever feasible, while improving public access and ecological health.
4. Deliver public benefits first
Cycleways, walking paths, open space and public access to the river should be delivered early in the project rather than being deferred until the final stages.
Communities should begin benefiting from the development from the outset.
5. Better community and stakeholder engagement
I was surprised to learn that only 22 people participated in the stakeholder engagement sessions for a project of this scale.
The Cooks River catchment is home to hundreds of thousands of people and is used every day by walkers, cyclists, paddlers, birdwatchers, anglers and local families.
The next stages of planning should include more meaningful and ongoing engagement with the community, Traditional Owners, environmental organisations, recreational user groups, councils and local residents. Good engagement should continue throughout the detailed design and delivery of the project, not finish once the concept is approved.
6. Design excellence
Finally, I encourage the Department to ensure the development reflects the importance of its riverfront location through:
● High-quality architecture and urban design.
● Increased tree canopy.
● Buildings that address and celebrate the river rather than turning their backs on it.
● Active public spaces along the waterfront.
● Safe and attractive walking and cycling connections.
● Opportunities for people to access and enjoy the river.
Conclusion
Major developments should leave the places they touch better than they found them.
This proposal has the potential to become a benchmark for river-sensitive urban development in Sydney. I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal so that it delivers lasting environmental, recreational and community benefits alongside economic development.
Thank you for considering my submission.

I am writing to urge the NSW Government to reconsider the proposed development on the Cooks River waterfront.

The planning documents describe this site as being of "low importance". That assessment fundamentally undervalues one of the last remaining publicly accessible blue-green spaces in southern Sydney with genuine potential for ecological restoration.

It also flies in the face of the substantial work already being undertaken by the Cooks River Alliance, local councils and Sydney Water to restore the health of the Cooks River. Together, these organisations have recognised that the river is an asset worth investing in, not an industrial afterthought.

The Cooks River is the most polluted river in New South Wales, but that is precisely why it deserves greater protection and restoration. It provides vital habitat, walking and cycling connections, recreation, and open space for communities stretching from southern Sydney through the Inner West and beyond. Every opportunity to improve public access and river health should be embraced.

This site is also the gateway to Sydney, adjoining our international airport. Rather than creating an attractive and accessible riverfront that reflects a modern, liveable city, the current proposal would add another large-scale logistics facility and a data centre with limited visual appeal, reducing opportunities for public access and blocking the future potential for riverfront parkland.

Around the world, cities are recognising the value of restoring their rivers. Former industrial waterfronts are being transformed into thriving public spaces because governments understand that healthy waterways are essential infrastructure that improves community wellbeing, biodiversity and climate resilience. Sydney should be leading this movement, not repeating planning decisions that other cities are now working to reverse.

Nobody disputes that Sydney needs logistics facilities and data centres. They are important pieces of infrastructure that support our economy. However, good planning means locating this infrastructure in appropriate places while protecting irreplaceable public green space and riverfront land.
There are also long-term resilience considerations.

The proposed site is located within a flood-prone area and will face increasing flood risks as climate change intensifies. Decisions made today will shape Sydney for generations, and we should ensure they are based on long-term public benefit rather than short-term convenience.

The Cooks River should be recognised as a protected public asset. This proposal represents one of the last opportunities to restore this stretch of river for public enjoyment and environmental recovery.

I urge the NSW Government to reconsider this proposal and place greater value on the long-term environmental, social and recreational importance of the Cooks River.

Yours sincerely,
Paige Finnegan

OBJECTION TO STATE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION SSD-84467726
Kogarah Golf Club Redevelopment, Concept Proposal and Stage 1 Works
13-19A Marsh Street, Arncliffe

Position: I object to this application.

I am writing to object to SSD-84467726 in its entirety, and in particular to the inclusion of a data centre among the permitted uses within the Concept Proposal. The site sits directly beside the Cooks River, opposite Sydney Airport, and immediately adjacent to established housing. On environmental, resource and amenity grounds, this location is unsuitable for a data centre of the scale contemplated by buildings of up to 70 metres.

1. Excessive and unassessed water consumption

Data centres are among the most water-intensive developments approved anywhere, and comparable NSW proposals confirm this locally. Goodman's proposed 90 megawatt Project Mars data centre at Lane Cove West, currently on exhibition, is expected to use 510,009 cubic metres, over 510 million litres, of drinking water a year for cooling. AirTrunk's proposed 1.2 gigawatt Mamre Road facility at Kemps Creek is expected to use 22.4 million litres a year. Internationally, a 100 megawatt hyperscale facility can consume around 2 million litres a day, equivalent to 6,500 homes, and Google's average data centre uses about 2.1 million litres a day. In Cerrillos, Chile, a proposed Google data centre's cooling system, set to draw up to 7.6 million litres a day from a drought-affected aquifer, was abandoned after community opposition. Seven years on it remains unbuilt. This application discloses no figures for the proposed water draw, source, or proportion of potable supply required.

2. Unsustainable electricity demand and grid strain

Data centres are placing severe strain on electricity grids internationally. In Ireland, data centres already consume around 21 to 22 per cent of national electricity, projected to reach 30 to 32 per cent within a few years, prompting a partial moratorium on new Dublin-area connections due to blackout risk. NSW is following the same trajectory. As at March 2026 there were 44 data centres in the state development pipeline totalling 11.4 gigawatts, equivalent to nearly four Eraring power stations, Australia's largest coal-fired plant. Sydney data centres already draw around 4 per cent of NSW's grid electricity, forecast to almost triple to 11 per cent by 2030. AEMO and Transgrid have both warned this growth risks system security and higher costs for consumers. In July 2024, 60 data centres in Virginia, USA, disconnected simultaneously during a single fault, pulling 1,500 megawatts offline and triggering cascading instability, an incident referenced by the Australian Energy Market Commission itself when proposing new technical standards for large data centre connections in 2026. AirTrunk's Mamre Road proposal alone includes 846 diesel back-up generators and more than 18,000 kilolitres of diesel storage, illustrating the scale of fossil-fuel backup such facilities require.

3. Discharge into an already critically degraded waterway and bay

The Cooks River is widely documented by the NSW EPA and academic researchers as Australia's most polluted urban river, officially classified as "severely modified," and named among the state's most microplastic-contaminated waterways in the EPA's most recent broadscale assessment. It discharges directly into Botany Bay, which carries its own well-documented contamination burden. In the NSW Government's 2025 State of the Beaches report, Foreshores Beach in Botany Bay was the only Sydney swimming site to score a "Very Poor" rating, even as water quality improved across the rest of the state. The Botany Sands Aquifer beneath the nearby suburb of Botany has been contaminated since the 1940s by the former Orica (ICI) chemical plant, described in an academic case study as the worst groundwater contamination incident in the Southern Hemisphere; the NSW EPA confirms a permanent Groundwater Extraction Exclusion Area remains in place and contaminated groundwater still requires ongoing treatment to prevent it entering the bay. Around 80 per cent of the water a data centre withdraws for cooling evaporates, with the remainder discharged as wastewater and therefore directing further stormwater runoff and cooling tower discharge into this catchment. This adds further pressure to a system already at capacity.

4. Noise and air quality impacts on adjacent residents

International experience shows data centres near housing generate constant, tonal, 24-hour noise from cooling plant, transformers and generators, with residents in the USA reporting sleep disturbance and elevated blood pressure. This is not only an overseas problem. Reviewing AirTrunk's comparable Mamre Road proposal in April 2026, the NSW EPA itself stated the environmental impact statement "does not provide the information required" to assess air quality, noise, greenhouse gas and waste storage impacts, given its proximity to "sensitive receivers including schools, aged care facilities and existing residences." Penrith City Council formally objected to that proposal as "not suitable for a development of this scale." Separately, community reporting in Lane Cove indicates an operating hyperscale facility there is not required to hold an EPA Environment Protection Licence, and that noise & fuel-storage conditions attached to its original consent have not been actively enforced. No detail has been provided in this Concept Proposal on residential setbacks, acoustic enclosure or generator specifications.

5. Modest job creation relative to resource demand

Job creation claims for data centres should be tested against disclosed figures rather than assumed. Goodman's 90 megawatt Lane Cove West proposal is expected to create around 200 temporary construction jobs but only 26 permanent operational jobs, against 510 million litres of drinking water used annually. AirTrunk's larger 1.2 gigawatt Mamre Road proposal claims around 500 construction and 500 operational jobs for a facility costing over 5 billion dollars. Independent industry analysis confirms data centres are highly automated once operating and consistently generate few ongoing local jobs relative to their capital cost, land footprint, and resource consumption.

6. Flood risk and legacy contamination

Arncliffe sits within Bayside Council's Bonnie Doon catchment, which drains to the Cooks River and recorded flooding on Arncliffe Street as recently as February 2022. Bayside-wide flood mapping estimates almost 23 per cent of the LGA's population, more than 41,000 people, are already at flood risk. Separately, the application itself confirms "remediation works" are required as part of Stage 1 earthworks. Former golf courses are well documented internationally as sources of legacy soil and groundwater contamination, particularly arsenic from decades of herbicide, fungicide and fertiliser use around greens and maintenance areas. The extent of this contamination, and how it will be managed beside a waterway and existing housing, is not disclosed.

Conclusion

For these reasons, namely unassessed and locally-verified high water consumption, substantial electricity demand at a time when NSW's own market operator is warning of grid strain, direct discharge risk to a river and bay both independently confirmed as heavily contaminated, noise and air quality risks that NSW's own EPA has found comparable proposals fail to adequately address, modest job creation relative to resource footprint, and unresolved flood and contamination risk, I request that consent for SSD-84467726 be refused, or at minimum that the data centre use be excluded pending full, site-specific disclosure of its water (for cooling, treatment measures, and discharge), energy and employment impacts.

I want to register my objection to this massive and totally inappropriate proposal. In an area that is largely residential to the west and is undergoing further residential development in the areas of along the Innesdale road and Marsh street through to the Princess Highway it is perplexing as to why this site has been chosen to build a huge industrial complex. This area should be maintained as parkland or limited non-industrial uses. Surely there are other areas most suitable. To sacrifice necessary green space is a travesty of urban planning.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing regarding the proposed redevelopment of Kogarah Golf Course.
As someone who values the Cooks River, I recognise this is a significant opportunity for Sydney. I am not opposed to redevelopment of the site. However, I believe a project of this scale should leave the Cooks River healthier than it found it.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to demonstrate that economic development and environmental restoration can go hand in hand.
I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal by including the following:
1. A meaningful contribution towards restoring the Cooks River
At approximately $2.9 billion, this is one of the largest developments proposed on the Cooks River.
Many major developments contribute towards local community infrastructure. A development of this scale should include a dedicated contribution towards restoring and enhancing the health of the Cooks River.
I encourage the establishment of a Cooks River Legacy Fund, supported through a meaningful developer contribution, to invest in long-term improvements to the river.
Such a fund could support initiatives including:
● Establishing a Cooks River Keeper or similar stewardship organisation to coordinate restoration and long-term management.
● Regular intensive river clean-up and maintenance programs.
● Removing ageing sheet piling with naturalised riverbanks.
● Restoration of saltmarsh, mangroves and other important habitats.
● Water quality improvement projects and stormwater treatment.
● Improved walking, cycling and paddling access.
● Community education and environmental monitoring.
This development should leave a positive environmental legacy for future generations.
2. A minimum 40 metre riparian corridor
A continuous minimum 40 metre riparian corridor should be provided along the full river frontage.
This would improve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, provide greater flood protection, improve water quality and create a far more attractive public waterfront.
3. Proper naturalisation of the river edge
The river should not be treated as the back boundary of an industrial development.
The development should include a commitment to naturalise the riverbank, replacing hard engineered edges with vegetation and habitat wherever feasible, while improving public access and ecological health.
4. Deliver public benefits first
Cycleways, walking paths, open space and public access to the river should be delivered early in the project rather than being deferred until the final stages.
Communities should begin benefiting from the development from the outset.
5. Better community and stakeholder engagement
I was surprised to learn that only 22 people participated in the stakeholder engagement sessions for a project of this scale.
The Cooks River catchment is home to hundreds of thousands of people and is used every day by walkers, cyclists, paddlers, birdwatchers, anglers and local families.
The next stages of planning should include more meaningful and ongoing engagement with the community, Traditional Owners, environmental organisations, recreational user groups, councils and local residents. Good engagement should continue throughout the detailed design and delivery of the project, not finish once the concept is approved.
6. Design excellence
Finally, I encourage the Department to ensure the development reflects the importance of its riverfront location through:
● High-quality architecture and urban design.
● Increased tree canopy.
● Buildings that address and celebrate the river rather than turning their backs on it.
● Active public spaces along the waterfront.
● Safe and attractive walking and cycling connections.
● Opportunities for people to access and enjoy the river.
Conclusion
Major developments should leave the places they touch better than they found them.
This proposal has the potential to become a benchmark for river-sensitive urban development in Sydney. I encourage the Department to strengthen the proposal so that it delivers lasting environmental, recreational and community benefits alongside economic development.

Thank you for considering my submission.