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Darling Quarter Hostile Vehicle Assessment

Darling Quarter, part of Darling Harbour in the central Sydney CBD, is a busy commercial, retail and recreational precinct with a year-round program of large events and experiences. As part of the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism, Darling Quarter is identified as a ‘Crowded Place’ requiring a specific security strategy to protect site users from hostile acts. This includes implementing measures to protect crowds from vehicle ramming attacks. 

As part of the Darling Quarter refresh project, SCG was engaged by Lendlease to conduct a hostile vehicle assessment to identify and analyse vehicle-as-a-weapon vulnerabilities to users of the Harbour Street footpaths and the Civic Connector (the north-eastern entry point to Tumbalong Park).  

SCG’s proprietary vehicle-as-a-weapon vulnerability assessment methodology allowed stakeholders to apply a risk-based approach to implementing counter-hostile vehicle solutions. SCG also provided several design options to allow stakeholders to determine the preferred protection strategy. The chosen strategy enhanced deterrence, detection and delay to an attack while preserving the legibility and amenity of the urban language and sense of place—principles that are vital to preserving the community’s enjoyment of such an iconic location. 