In 2019, Crown Limited will open up a new casino resort in Barangaroo. The casino operator has spent the past few months hashing out the details of the project, and some of their plans have been revealed. James Packer, the chairman for Crown Limited, has maintained that the new casino resort property will be an architectural triumph for Sydney.
When proposing the plan, he boasted that it would rival the Sydney Opera House as Australia’s most iconic building. Now, the public will receive some insight into exactly what the construction of the venue will entail. Crown Limited will spend $1.5 billion building the new Barangaroo casino resort property. In addition to being home to a VIP-only casino, it will also host a luxury hotel with 80 lavish apartments.
The top 20 floors of the property will be dedicated to these apartments. The property will be located just 30 metres away from the waterfront. The space was previously designated as parkland, which was valued by the local community. Even though a new park will be built further inland, residents are disappointed that the waterfront park will be no more.
However, Crown Limited maintains that the relocation of the park is best for the city. “To compete with other global cities, Sydney needs to offer a world-class hotel resort in a unique harbourside location,” said a spokesperson for Crown Limited. “The international tourism market is fiercely competitive, especially the fight to capture a greater share of the booming Chinese traveller market”.
Still, local architects are not convinced that the new VIP casino will contribute to the city’s look. They are concerned that the resort property will actually compromise Barangaroo’s image.