Botany cruise terminal opposed by council

A NSW government push for a cruise ship terminal in Port Botany has been attacked by the local council which fears it would destroy nearby beaches and parks.

A Sydney eastern suburbs council is preparing for a long battle to stop a plan that could see a new cruise ship terminal built in Port Botany.

Randwick City Council opposed the NSW government's proposal to investigate Yarra Bay and Molineaux Point as locations for a new terminal which is needed because mega cruise liners no longer fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A mayoral minute calling on the government to find alternative sites and a notice of motion to list parts of Yarra Bay and Molineaux Point on the state's heritage register were supported unanimously by councillors on Tuesday night.

The council hopes its bid to list the sites will kill off the Port Botany proposal.

Mayor Lindsay Shurey said the sites were not appropriate because the terminal would put the area's beaches and parklands at "serious risk of degradation" and cause further traffic congestion.

The sites were flagged as potential solutions to the city's capacity crisis after Garden Island in Sydney Harbour was ruled out in July with the coalition stating it would remain a naval base.

A single berth at Circular Quay doesn't meet industry needs and many modern liners can't fit under the harbour bridge to dock at the existing cruise terminal at White Bay.