Darling Harbour redevelopment begins, Harbourside Shopping Centre shops and restaurants closed

By ERIN MODARO

The beginning of a massive redevelopment of Darling Harbour has kicked off last week with shop fronts and restaurants in the Harbourside Shopping Centre closing their doors. Shop owners in the centre were asked to vacate by Friday December 9, as plans for the redevelopment of the site get rolling.

Mirvac’s $1 billion redevelopment of the prime waterfront area has been in the works for years, with the developers getting the green light for the project from the NSW government in September.

Mirvac announced development would begin in January of 2023.

Built in the 1980s, the existing Harbourside Shopping Centre has been slowly increasing in vacancy with many shopfronts empty.

Restaurants that line Darling Harbour’s waters in the shopping centre have either shut down already or announced their last days of trade as Friday. The current shopping centre occupied 240 metres of waterfront.

Long standing restaurants and bar The Watershed Hotel and Cohi Bar posted via social media that “the rumours are true”, and their last open day would be at the end of the week.

Darling Harbour closures to happen over the next 6 weeks

Mirvac has said in a statement that the closure of the existing Harbourside Shopping Centre will happen “progressively over the next 6 weeks”.

“Mirvac has worked closely with the NSW Government and the community on this iconic site” the statement said.

While construction of the redevelopment has been confirmed to begin in January 2023, Mirvac say they will “shortly be submitting plans for the main building works”.

What’s coming?

The redevelopment of the Harbourside Shopping Centre will cover a gross floor area of 87,000 square metres, featuring a mixed use development with commercial and residential spaces.

A 42-story residential tower with roughly 300 luxury homes will also be built. Also included in plans is increased public spaces like a widened waterfront boulevard and a bridge connecting the harbour to Pyrmont. The 10,000 square metres of public domain will feature a waterfront garden.

The massive development was met with backlash from residents and the City of Sydney Council after Mirvac originally proposed a 166 metre tall tower that was labelled as “overshadowing”. Fears of overdevelopment, blocking views, and questions over local benefit arose when the plans were unveiled.