Godden Mackay Logan

In 2006 GML prepared a Conservation Management Plan for the Sydney Harbour Bridge to replace an earlier plan that has been in place since 1998. The Roads and Traffic Authority, the owner and manager of the bridge, needed practical policies to deal with a range of operational and security issues affecting management of the bridge. There was also a need for policies to deal with uses that the bridge was not originally designed to accommodate, such as tourism experiences, New Years Eve fireworks and the promotion of major cultural events.

An important aspect of the plan was the identification of actions and works essential for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the bridge as critical component of Sydney’s transport system. These were grouped as ‘specific exemptions’ which which could be undertaken an ongoing basis with the need for approval by the Heritage Council.  The specific exemptions were approved and gazetted by the NSW Minister for Planning in July 2007; this has considerably simplified the management of the bridge.

To coincide with the bridge’s 75th anniversary and the Heritage Council’s endorsement of the Conservation Management Plan, the bridge was listed on the National Heritage List in March 2007.  The listing recognises its cultural heritage significance amongst other national icons such as the Sydney Opera House, the Port Arthur Historic Site and the Great Barrier Reef. GML recently reviewed the plan to acknowledge this significance and to include provisions for managing the bridge under the national heritage legislation.

Location: Sydney, NSW
Client: Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW
Project Type: Conservation Management Plan