A two-hectare waterfront park, campus-style offices and a new cultural venue will form the final piece of Barangaroo, as opposition grows to a proposed 21-storey tower residents fear will block views from Observatory Hill.

Developer Aqualand on Sunday revealed a first look at the $2.5 billion scheme for Central Barangaroo on Sydney Harbour before the NSW Department of Planning and Environment places the most recent plans on exhibition.

Designed to act as a “bridge” between the headland park and the more intensively developed commercial district, Central Barangaroo is the last stage of the NSW government’s massive Barangaroo urban renewal project.

Barangaroo has long been a bone of contention between the state government and residents, architects and the City of Sydney council, which have criticised the scale of development and the privatisation of public foreshore.

Aqualand project director Rod McCoy said as the final section of the foreshore to be developed, Central Barangaroo would be a place for people, with buildings surrounded by large parks and public spaces.

“Our goal is to create a truly exceptional precinct that is beautiful, welcoming to all, with a variety of well-designed indoor and outdoor public spaces that can be enjoyed at all times of the year,” McCoy said.

Half the 5.2-hectare site on the western edge of the city centre will be a waterfront park, while the rest will be campus-style offices, apartments, laneways, shops, cafes, restaurants, cultural venues and a Metro station.

The development will be mid-rise, with provision for a tower of roughly 20 storeys above the train station.

“Central Barangaroo will feature a new two-hectare waterfront park for visitors and locals to enjoy and
delivers on the long-held promise that more than half of the Barangaroo precinct is accessible public open space,” McCoy said.