A NSW government push to build a new cruise ship terminal in Port Botany has been attacked by the local council which fears any development would destroy nearby beaches and parklands.
Randwick City Council on Tuesday opposed the coalition'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 community opposes the terminal because it would put the area's beaches and parklands at "serious risk of degradation" and cause further traffic congestion.
"We need to stand firm to protect this area and its significant local heritage," Ms Shurey said in a statement on Wednesday.
The mayor urged the state government to find alternative locations claiming Yarra Bay and Molineaux Point were not "appropriate or fit for purpose".
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.
The state government said while it investigates Molineaux Point and Yarra Bay as potential sites it will consider using Hayes Dock in Port Botany as a temporary cruise terminal.
It will also consider maximising the number of passengers accessing Circular Quay's Overseas Passenger Terminal through a new booking system.
Cruise ships that are able to sail under the harbour bridge will continue to dock at White Bay.
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