Sydney saw a weekend of protests over the city’s vast Barangaroo development. Environmental activist Jack Mundey led a charge with the theme ''take your hotel out of our harbour'' aimed directly at developers.
The hotel, which is being eyed by Las Vegas operator MGM Resorts, would be built out into Sydney harbour.
The rally against the controversial $6 billion plans to develop the harbourside site of Barangaroo saw dozens of posters, variously urging the state government to ''scale back the towers'', developers to ''take your hotel out of our harbour'' and the people of Sydney to ''halt the high-rise bribery''.
Many of the protesters believe the view they have enjoyed will disappear entirely if a proposed complex of residential and commercial towers - the tallest standing 209m goes ahead. Jamie Parker, the mayor of Leichhardt, claimed the development was ''the wrong size, in the wrong place, with the wrong approach''.
Scott Woodcock, of the National Trust, which supports ''appropriate'' development of Barangaroo, said the site had become ''the dumping ground for poor government policy''. Or, as one poster put it, ''Baranga-rooted''.
The long-time environmental activist Jack Mundey accused the government of rushing to hand over the site to the developers Lend Lease before next year's election.
John Tabart, the head of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority, said recently excavation work could start as early as next month.
David Hutton, of Lend Lease, said, ''The development will transform the western edge of the city, produce 6000 new jobs, and return over 2km of foreshore to the public.''
