Faced with increasing pressure from competition and urban growth, the Sydney Ports Corporation was looking for someone to help them plan for the future. They turned to AECOM to prepare a Port Master Plan that would provide the basis for making important decisions regarding port development to the year 2020 and beyond.
The initial focus began with the growing need for improved productivity at the ports, environmental and social issues, and the limitations on land and water availability. Also, the need for land transport connections and how to integrate these into an integrated plan that would serve future investors, government planners, and regulatory agencies, all led to a study that included emphasis on the following areas:
- Analyzing cargo and shipping trends;
- Assessing site conditions;
- Preparing port layout options;
- Analyzing capacity;
- Identifying environmental issues; and
- Identifying intermodal issues.
After close collaboration with the client and assessing various options, both a master plan and a staged development program were created that would serve as a roadmap to move forward with key features that included:
- Providing for container traffic growth at Botany;
- Preserving Sydney Harbor port operations in the medium term;
- Meeting demand for multi-purpose dry and liquid bulk terminals;
- Improving rail and road access;
- Reserving strategic land for port-related industry; and
- Ensuring compatibility with Sydney Airport operations.
A key theme of the master plan was supporting the Corporation’s commitment to sustainable development and minimizing impacts to the environment and local communities.