Harbour view of hanging gardens

Hanging gardens or grassy rooftops could be built to make central Barangaroo as renowned as Rome's Spanish Steps.

HANGING gardens or grassy rooftops could be built to make central Barangaroo as renowned as Rome's Spanish Steps.

Designers have revealed their ideas for the 5.2ha site, overhauling the last section of the port and turning it into a "powerful stage for Sydney". Head planner Phil Enquist said he wanted to give Sydney a landscape that would "bring everyone to the waterfront".

"We are looking at the new front door into Sydney," Mr Enquist, the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP partner in charge of urban design and planning, said. "We are excited about that and the idea of level change is a real asset. If we can bring people here and have the theatre and performance of the Harbour we end up with a central stage for the city."

Mr Enquist wants to link Barangaroo Central to Millers Point, Observatory Hill, the Domain and Hyde Park, to become a "great civic intersection".

"Sydney is one of the top 10 cities in the world for a global visitor. The city really embraces its waterfront in many different ways and we want to continue that tradition so it is also attractive to the local citizen and also the world to come visit," he said.

He said it would be "unbelievable" if planners could make a link over the Cahill Expressway, allowing the key green space in Sydney to be connected.

"If the highway systems can be diminished over time, so they are not barriers to the public getting to the waterfront - I don't know how we would do it - if we could make a link and overcome that barrier it would be unbelievable."

Ideas considered include cliff gardens and roofs of the new buildings being used as a "public park system". "We have a cliff on Hickson Rd, we're talking about how we can landscape it vertically. You have the climate for amazing hanging gardens. These roofs have to be really incredible."

Barangaroo Central was being compared with the Spanish Steps and "remarkable spaces that identify each city".

A Barangaroo Delivery Authority spokeswoman said consultation with the public and stakeholders would be key in the development of the master plan.

Construction is already under way on the Barangaroo South financial hub and Headland Park.

View the original article here