Bayside Council believes the development of a cruise ship terminal in Botany Bay will have serious implications for beaches.
The council called on the state government to reject the proposal and look for other, more viable options.
“The impacts from past dredging and reclamation works primarily associated with the development of the port and the airport continue to degrade the foreshore of Botany Bay,” Mayor Bill Saravinovski said in a mayoral minute.
“Bayside residents have been paying the ongoing environmental repair costs ever since.
“There are serious concerns that further dredging would lead to the erosion of the few sandy beaches left around the bay, including our own beach front stretching from Kyeemagh to Sans Souci.”
Sand movement on the eastern foreshore of the bay continues unabated with the Dolls Point spit expanding further into the bay each year, while there is severe erosion at other locations, such as Ramsgate baths and Sandringham baths.
The wharf at Dolls Point, which used to extend into deep water is marooned in a sea of sand while the nearby swimming baths was abandoned and the nets removed by the council last year.
The Botany Bay cruise ship terminal proposal has run into stiff opposition, with the state opposition and airline pilots among those strongly opposed.
Airline pilots warned a cruise ship terminal near Sydney Airport could make it difficult to land planes safely.
The state government is considering two sites, Yarra Bay and Molineaux Point, on the northern side of the bay as locations for the terminal.
A third terminal is needed because the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay and White Bay are struggling to keep up with passenger numbers.
Hayes Dock in Port Botany will also be investigated as an interim cruise terminal once the longer-term site has been decided.
Cr Saravinovski said while the proposed locations were technically not in Bayside, he was concerned about the impact a passenger terminal would have “not just on Botany Bay, but on every Bayside resident”.
He also questioned how passengers would feel.
“Sailing into the historic Botany Bay may hold some appeal but the idea of docking a cruise liner adjacent to a liquid gas storage facility has none of the wow factor of Sydney Harbour,” he said.
Cr Saravinovski said modern cruise ships could carry 6000 passengers, and the liners were only getting bigger.
“The roads around the port and airport are already at capacity, so I ask how is the government planning to deal with the increased transport needs?” he said.
“Botany Bay might well be the birth place of our nation but sadly its tourist potential has been ignored for decades.
“I firmly believe the quickest way to kill the cruise industry is to just dump it on the end of the port facilities without careful examination of the logistics as well as the impact it will have on the local community.
“The state government must consider the historical and environmental importance of Botany Bay and look at other options.”
Randwick Council also unanimously decided to oppose the cruise ship terminal proposal, and urged the government to consider alternative sites.
The state government was forced into preparing a strategic business case by the federal government's decision in July to rule out Garden Island as a location.
A spokeswoman for NSW Roads, Maritime and Freight Minister Melinda Pavey said the government had taken the first step in a detailed process for understanding the feasibility and location of new cruise infrastructure.
"Before any decision is made, the NSW government will consult extensively with the community and undertake detailed environmental studies,” she said.
