James Packer’s new Crown Barangaroo casino is scheduled to open in 2019 – but a dispute between the NSW Government and Lend Lease may delay the grand opening. According to Architecture & Design, a court ruling on a case between Lend Lease and the local government has held up the development process of the new casino.
The new Barangaroo Casino will be a high roller gambling venue, competing directly with Echo Entertainment’s The Star. It will be a 70-storey property with a six-star hotel, and only the most wealthy gamblers will be allowed to visit the casino. The new casino will certainly bring more tourism to Sydney – but the project may be delayed.
Three months ago, a court ruling in favour of Lend Lease ended up costing the NSW government millions of dollars towards the casino’s public infrastructure. Now, the two parties are at an impasse regarding the payments – and the negotiations have caused the Crown Barangaroo project to be put on hold.
“Sources close to the negotiations said the government is trying to figure out whether it will have enough money to pay for all the public infrastructure at the 22-hectare stretch of land as a result of the ruling,” reads a report from the AFR. Until the two parties have come to a resolution, Lend Lease is unable to submit its concept plan to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
This has also delayed Crown Casino from submitted its development plan. While a dispute is holding the negotiations back, there is no bad blood. All three parties are working together to come up with a solution. They have stated they are dedicated “to progress the next phase of Barangaroo South.” The dispute will certainly take some time to resolve.
If negotiations continue for longer than a month, the opening of the Barangaroo Casino may be delayed.
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