#Australia #NSW – The Diocese of Broken Bay (north of Sydney, serving areas like the North Shore, Northern Beaches, and Central Coast) announced the project to build a new cathedral in mid-April 2026. This project will replace the current cathedral, Our Lady of the Rosary in Waitara, as the diocesan seat for around 250,000 Catholics.
The cathedral will be located on a 7.7-hectare precinct in Waitara on Sydney’s upper north shore. Once built, it will be the first Roman Catholic cathedral in Australia in more than 100 years to be fully master-planned from inception as a complete precinct.
The project will be worked on by London-based Níall McLaughlin Architects led by the 2026 RIBA Royal Gold Medal recipient, working with local firm Hayball. This construction is their first Australian project. The cathedral will serve as the centerpiece of a fully integrated campus, described as a “virtuous circle” of Catholic life supporting people from baptism through education and community service. The cathedral will not only be a centerpoint for worship, but include a pastoral centre, a forecourt, social service facilities, residences for bishop and clergy, diocesan offices, educational facilities, and a rooftop garden. It may also include a cafe and/or bookshop.
The project is in the early design and approvals phase. Plans were recently unveiled, with a development application expected soon. The construction timelines will depend on planning approvals and funding – a mix of church institutional capital and philanthropic appeals. It’s set to evolve over the next several years—no groundbreaking has started yet. No budget or estimated costs have been announced.
The design will draw from the local Hawkesbury River landscape and natural environment. It envisions the congregation “ebbing and flowing beneath a forest of timber framing, contained by sandstone structures of local bluffs and caves.”
Key features of the design include a timber-framed interior creating a “forest” canopy effect, sandstone cladding, generous natural light, and stained-glass elements. A sustainability component aligned with Laudato Si, Pope Francis’s encyclical on caring for our common home, will see the use of responsible, low-impact materials. The rooftop gardens will promote biodiversity, and the existing blue gum high forest on the site will be preserved as public amenity.
Image: A render image by Níall McLaughlin Architect – although the design is not final.
