About the project
Property and Development NSW’s Strategic Advisory Services team provided planning, procurement, and stakeholder management expertise to help deliver a landmark Darling Harbour redevelopment comprising a new hotel, cinema and public playground.
The team worked with the developer on behalf of Darling Harbour’s landowner, Placemaking NSW, to ensure the project delivery complied with contractual obligations, including the delivery of public domain upgrades.
The 30-storey Darling Harbour development, comprising a new W hotel, serviced apartments, retail, and a new IMAX theatre, opened in October 2023.
Improvements to the adjoining public domain, including a new, 2,000 square-metre playground, amenities and new facilities for the landowner, which were part of the redevelopment requirements, were completed in April 2024.
The new playground doubles the size of the Darling Harbour play area and offers a variety of zones and experiences for children of all ages, including slides, swings and open water areas, plus plenty of seating for parents and carers.
Rich in Indigenous history, for more than 7,000 years Darling Harbour was a frontier, a boundary between the Wangal and Gadigal clans of the coastal Eora people who used the harbour for food and transport up the Parramatta River.
With around 26 million visitors to Darling Harbour each year, the precinct is a family-oriented playground for all ages. Alongside a fine array of waterside dining, fashionable nightspots and cultural events, the area also boasts some of Sydney’s most compelling attractions.
The new W hotel, the IMAX theatre and playground will further support the NSW Government’s tourism objectives to create better public spaces for locals and visitors to enjoy.
The project, now completed, created jobs in the construction, hospitality and tourism industries, and will bring economic benefits to Sydney and wider NSW for years to come.