FORMER prime minister Paul Keating (left) has claimed victory over his Barangaroo foes in the wake of the independent review of the $6 billion project.

“The contents of the report amount to a complete rebuttal of the distorted and fallacious claims by the organisation Australians for Sustainable Development,” Mr Keating said in a statement. “It represents a complete rejection of the views of the ringleader, Councillor John McInerney, and his accomplice Councillor Marcelle Hoff.”

Mr Keating resigned as chair of the Barangaroo Design Excellence Review panel last year after a stoush with Sydney Council and Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP. Mr Keating accused her of representing “sandal-wearing, muesli-chewing, bike-riding pedestrians” by calling for an inquiry into the project.

Australians for Sustainable Development spokesman Cr McInerny said the group had “mixed feelings” about the findings of the review, chaired by independent strategic design experts Meredith Sussex and Shelley Penn. “The report contains some big wins for the community, although it could have gone a lot further,” he said.

According to Cr McInerny, the group supported the review’s criticism of the hotel in the harbour (right) and the bulk of the commercial towers, as well as its recommendation for a new face for the Barangaroo Development Authority and a formal role for Sydney Council in planning approval.

However “the review doesn’t address the significant financial risks posed to NSW due to the cost of the headland park and the lack of commitment to transport solutions,” he said.