WORLD'S LARGEST INDUSTRIAL LAND TRANSFORMATION IS ONE STEP CLOSER

Now on public exhibition, the proposal outlines plans to rezone a section of BlueScope’s Port Kembla steelworks site, the size of Sydney’s CBD (or the country of Monaco), currently underutilised on the southern edge of the Port Kembla Steelworks.  Designed by BIG, the development will transform the land from a closed-off industrial site into a thriving precinct for community, advanced manufacturing and green technologies.

BlueScope will still own the land, but the rezoning will allow high-value industries that work alongside the steelworks to develop the area, in what the ASX-listed giant says is currently the largest industrial land revitalisation project in the world.

The design aims to create facilities for innovation and recreation, transforming 65 percent of the alloted site into green and blue spaces and open parklands. The vision preserves the majority of the existing building mass and historic structures, repurposing them as a restraurant on top a furnace, an industrial lift turned into an elevated garden and using existing steel in new structures.

"The masterplan harmoniously blends with the surroundings, respecting the context and preserving the essence of the place. Shaped to shelter from industrial noise and heavy winds, the architectural volumes dissolve into the landscape, blurring the boundaries between built structures and open space, solar panels and green roofs, technology and ecology ... It will position Australia as a global leader in sustainable, industrial regeneration, setting an example for the country and the rest of the world," explains Bjarke Ingles, founder and Creative Director of BIG.

As per the Port Kembla Land Transformation Masterplan, the project "aims to deliver a dynamic precinct encouraging employment and businesses related to advanced manufacturing, industry, renewable and emerging energy, battery storage, education, data centres, logistics, sustainability focused technologies and other land uses, while safeguarding and supporting the ongoing operations of the Port Kembla Steelworks and port, as well as a vibrant and sustainable local community."

The ongoing operations of the steelworks and the port will continue uninterrupted, with existing infrastructure and transport connections at the site to support new development. Several historic buildings will be preserved and repurposed, maintaining the site’s industrial legacy alongside its transformation into a modern and innovative precinct.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said: “This transformation is about honouring the site’s industrial history while building a precinct that brings new industries and new jobs to the Illawarra. It’s the biggest land transformation in the world right now and possibly the most significant change to the region since steelmaking began nearly 100 years ago.”

BlueScope have called it "a once in a generation opportunity to increase the footprint of growth industries and employment sectors in the Illawarra, while positioning Australia to provide a significant example of sustainable industrial regeneration."

The NSW Government is fast-tracking the rezoning through a State Assessed Rezoning Proposal process, recognising its strategic importance for the region and the state.