An authentic new Sydney Fish Market which will sit at the heart of a revitalised Blackwattle Bay and return inaccessible parts of the harbour foreshore to the community.
The NSW Government is delivering an authentic new Sydney Fish Market which will return inaccessible parts of the harbour foreshore to the community.
Building the new Sydney Fish Market at the head of Blackwattle Bay will:
World renowned Danish architects 3XN have worked with Sydney firms BVN and Aspect Studios with the specific goal of creating more than just a fish market. They have worked to create a major cultural facility that enhances the existing authentic market operations while providing generous public amenity to unlock the waterfront for all to enjoy.
Click to enlarge the following image of the cross section of the new building viewed from the east.
Waterfront promenade
The project will deliver an extended foreshore promenade, connecting the existing Glebe foreshore promenade to Pyrmont.
The amphitheatre staircases and the foreshore promenade wrap over the operational wharf, allowing people to watch the authentic operations of the fish market with boats coming in and fishers unloading their catch of the day.
An authentic working fish market
New wharfs will be built to allow fishers to unload their catch of the day and berth their vessels. The design of the wharf has been developed through extensive consultation with local rowing clubs, dragon boaters and representatives from the fishing fleet.
The building's design provides visual connections between the public areas, wholesale market and wharf operations to connect the public with an authentic fish market experience.
Public market hall
The new Sydney Fish Market will be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, supporting professional fishers and coastal fishing towns from up and down the NSW coast. It will include a variety of fishmongers, restaurants, cafes, bars, and specialty food retailers in a market hall setting.
The new building will consist of:
Creating new public space in Blackwattle Bay
The new Sydney Fish Market creates an exciting opportunity to transform currently inaccessible harbourfront land and deliver a variety of new public spaces. This will allow people to access the head of Blackwattle Bay for the first time since industrial uses took over in the 19th century.
More than 6000 square metres of new public space will include:
Bridge Road will be raised by approximately one metre between its intersections with Wattle Street and Wentworth Park Road. This has a number of benefits:
Click to enlarge the following image.
The new Sydney Fish Market is a highly complex project being built under and over Blackwattle Bay. View the latest work updates.
Piling work will continue over the next few months. We will regularly update the website with a snapshot of progress.
View the marine piling fact sheet
The following works are taking place over the coming months:
View current or upcoming night works.
Recently completed works
Work hours
Our standard approved working hours are 7am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 7:30am to 3:30pm on Saturday.
Respite is the period within the working day where noisy activities such as rock breaking, and rock hammering, will not be carried out in order to provide a break from the noise impacts. Noisy activities will occur between:
Out of hours work will be required from time to time. To receive notifications by email, please register here.
Managing construction noise and vibration
Some construction activities are inherently noisy and generate vibration which cannot be avoided. It is important that noise management strategies are implemented to not only reduce impact to the community, but also to our workers who are often working at the source of the noise/vibration where it is most impactful.
A Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan has been prepared to understand potential noise and vibration impacts during construction. It identifies measures to implement to reduce and manage potential noise and vibration impacts.
Noise and vibration monitoring is occurring on site in line with the project’s Infrastructure Approval.
The new Sydney Fish Market is a highly complex project being built under and over Blackwattle Bay. The key activities occurring on site to start the build include installing marine piles for the building structure, and installing a coffer dam to enable dewatering at a later stage to build the basement.
This page will be updated as the project progresses.
Marine piling
The new Sydney Fish market is being constructed over water and requires over 400 piles to support the new building structure, wharfs and adjacent promenade. Marine piling is expected to continue until late 2022. The marine piling process is illustrated in the following diagrams (click to enlarge):
Cofferdam construction
The cofferdam is a series of interlinked steel sheets installed around the perimeter of the new building creating a swimming pool type structure. Once complete the cofferdam will be around 20,000 square meters in area. Once all the marine piles for the building have been installed, the cofferdam will be dewatered to approximately 4.5-5m under the mean tide level.
The cofferdam will be a sheet and tube system installed using Giken Japanese technology. The Giken is often referred to as the ‘silent plier’ because it is typically quieter than most of the typical construction activities occurring on site.
Sheets will be installed commencing from land working out towards the water, using a press-in method. Silent Pilers utilise their own weight and reaction against already installed piles to push sheets into the ground to required depths.
Typically, piles are installed utilising vibratory hammers which are considerably louder than a press-in method due to the vibration of steel on steel as opposed to steel sliding against each other.
Cofferdam location around the basement
This page will continue to be updated with environmental initiatives being implemented on the project throughout construction.
Seabin Project
As part of the project’s commitment to cleaning up the bay, Seabins will be used around the site of the new Sydney Fish Market in Blackwattle Bay. Seabins are essentially garbage bins for the ocean with each unit connected to a water pump capable of drawing water from up to 50 metres away. The bins filter water and capture debris (including microplastics, plastic fibres, oil and more) in a catch bag. The bins are emptied by a Seabin environmental technician each day. In every 12-month period, the five seabins at the site of the new Sydney Fish Market will:
How the Seabin collects plastics and debris from the ocean (Source: The Seabin Project)
Keep in touch
We will continue to keep the community informed throughout the construction period with regular notifications being distributed to residents and frequent updates published here on our website.
View our latest:
What is planned for the Blackwattle Bay precinct?
The NSW Government is revitalising Blackwattle Bay to deliver an authentic, vibrant and sustainable place connected to Sydney Harbour. View the Blackwattle Bay project page for more information.
Contact the team
Stage one early works
Stage two main works
Air quality
Noise and vibration
Surface water
Investigation work is required along Bridge Road to test existing ground conditions which will assist in utility services foundation design for the Bridge Road upgrade works in 2023.
READ MORENight work is required along Bridge Road to prepare the temporary substation kiosk for energisation.
READ MOREInvestigation work is required along Bridge Road to test existing ground conditions which will assist in utility services foundation design for the Bridge Road upgrade works next year.
READ MOREThe NSW Government is delivering a new Sydney Fish Market that will support tourism and the fishing industry, strengthening Sydney’s position as one of Australia’s leading tourist destinations.
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READ MOREThe new Sydney Fish market is being constructed over water and requires over 400 piles to support the new building structure, wharfs and adjacent promenade.
READ MOREWorks are continuing to install a temporary substation kiosk and associated cabling that will provide power for the construction site.
READ MOREWe are committed to keeping the community informed as the new Sydney Fish Market project progresses.
READ MOREThe new Sydney Fish Market reached a significant milestone this week with the NSW Government announcing the commencement of marine piling.
READ MOREOut of hours works will be undertaken to install a temporary substation kiosk and associated cabling works that will provide power for the construction site.
READ MORETo support students at the neighbouring Sydney Secondary College completing their Higher School Certificate (HSC) examinations, there will be a temporary amendment to respite hours during the HSC examination period from Tuesday 9 November 2021 until Friday 3 December 2021.
READ MOREMultiplex will be conducting investigation work to identify the location of main services lines within the proposed routes for the 11kVA feeder and the combined services route.
READ MOREMultiplex will be installing hoarding along the Glebe Foreshore Walk and Bridge Road.
READ MOREWe are committed to keeping the community informed as the new Sydney Fish Market project progresses.
READ MOREMultiplex will be undertaking tree removal and pavement testing along Bridge Road. Read more.
READ MOREMultiplex will be undertaking work to amend the site entrance gates and vehicular crossovers to Bridge Road.
READ MOREMultiplex will be undertaking investigation work from 8 March to 9 April 2021 as part of the new Sydney Fish Market development.
READ MOREWe are committed to keeping the community informed as the new Sydney Fish Market project progresses.
READ MORENominations for the appointment of community members to the new Sydney Fish Market stage two main works Community Consultative Committee (CCC) are now open.
READ MOREOn 23 October, it was confirmed that Multiplex will build the new Sydney Fish Market at the head of Blackwattle Bay.
READ MOREWe are committed to keeping the community informed as the new Sydney Fish Market Redevelopment project progresses.
READ MOREThe new Sydney Fish Market is another step closer with Hansen Yuncken announced as the stage one construction managing contractor.
READ MOREA world class new Sydney Fish Market is one step closer with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment granting planning consent for the project.
READ MOREThe NSW Government is calling for Expression of Interests from principal contractors to build the new Sydney Fish Market.
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Visitor numbers to the new Sydney Fish Market are set to more than double to over five million a year, cementing the markets as one of Australia’s leading tourist attractions, and also as a driver of job creation and reinvigoration of the Pyrmont area. Read more.
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