Australia's iconic market to undergo 192 mln USD facelift

One of Australia's Sydney most iconic tourist destination -- the Sydney Fish Market will undergo a 250 million Australian dollars (192.04 million U.S. dollars) facelift with construction expected to commence in late 2018.

The New South Wales (NSW) state government in a statement on Monday said the market would also be moved to a new site at Blackwattle Bay which is adjacent to its current venue and is expected to attract twice of the current number of the tourists.

The announcement comes right after an agreement was reached between UrbanGrowth NSW and the leaseholders of the market to proceed to the next stage of the development of a new market, which includes design, site investigations, planning and negotiations.

"The Sydney Fish Market is already one of Sydney's great attractions but our world famous harbour deserves something even better," NSW Premier Mike Baird said.

"The current facilities are tired and run down," he said.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes said the NSW Government was now calling for registrations of interest from Australia and worldwide to create a new Sydney Fish Market.

"We want to attract leading talent from across the world who have the vision to design a world-class market befitting of this stunning location," Stokes said.

The new markets retail space is expected to grow from the present 6,582 square metres to 15,500 square metres with seafood sales complemented by additional fresh produce lines.

There will be outdoor dining seating for more than 3,000 guests and the possibility of the inclusion of a rooftop bar. Enditem