Newsletter - January 2023
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Sekisui’s $550m Plan at Wentworth Point Approved
The next stages of the masterplanned community Sanctuary at Wentworth Point by Sekisui House Australia have been approved.
Three phases, Summit & Ridge, Cascade, and Pinnacle, with a combined capital investment value of $550 million, were approved by the Sydney Central City Planning panel.
Plans for the 2300-apartment riverside development at 14–16 Hill Road were first introduced by Sekisui House in 2021.
On a 6560 square metre plot, the two 40- and 32-story Summit & Ridge towers by Sekisui will house 537 apartments. The towers' total construction cost is $225 million.
The panel approved the phase because it is "responsive to the wider Sydney context which is characterised by a range of ‘villages’ with different characters," it stated in its decision.
Summit & Ridge will include 642 parking spots in addition to 187 one-, 333 two-, 16 three-, and one four-bedroom apartments.
A three-level sleeved podium, a 40-story tower, and a nine-story block with a total of 393 apartments, including 78 one-, 271 two-, and 15 three-bedroom apartments, are all included in the $165 million Cascade's plans.
The $160 million Pinnacle, the second approved phase, will have 334 apartments spread across a block with a 40-story building and an 11-story building.
The Sanctuary masterplan was designed by Turner Studio, and according to director James McCarthy, it represents the next phase of the Wentworth Point urban renewal program.
“Sanctuary looks to a new urbanism,” he said. “It seeks to go beyond business as usual and has deliberately not extended the ‘gridside’ pattern of east Wentworth Point, and instead embraces a new ‘parkside’ urban model.
“The new parks will form a series of green fingers that connect the adjacent regional parklands to the water’s edge. This composition of buildings, set within nature, invites the adjoining precinct to celebrate the riverside location.
“This new urbanism is deeply rooted in sustainability. Sanctuary allows for future public transport links and provides much needed open space and riverside parks that will greatly enhance the suburb as a whole.”
The North Sydney Tower Design by EM BE CE Receives Approval
Plans by a Sydney architectural firm EM BE CE have tipped out the competition for a 27-storey, mixed-use tower on the capital’s lower north shore.
EM BE CE won the $80-million project in Chatswood over two other proposals.
The tower's unique form on a 2290 square meter block at 3-5 Help Street, according to the competition jury, provided a powerful urban marker for the precinct.
“The careful and sensitive modulation of the building envelope to maximise northern light into neighbouring buildings, residents’ apartments, communal and public open space, and the folding of podium wall heights to align with neighbouring buildings, integrated the project in a nuanced manner,” the jury said.
The project, which is held by private Sydney developer Loftex Property Group, will now be the subject of a development application filed with Willoughby City Council.
Loftex received approval for amendments to Willoughby's local environmental plan in March of last year, allowing for the construction of a project with a height that is more than three times the permitted limit. The developer was successful in his efforts to raise the site's maximum height restriction from 25 to 90 meters as well as the permitted floor-to-area ratios.
The New South Wales department of planning, industry, and environment decided to support the amendments because they would make it possible to deliver more affordable housing and spur job growth in the Chatswood center.
“It is consistent with the actions of the North District Plan for Chatswood by providing additional commercial development capacity, maximises public transport patronage, promotes employment growth within an existing commercial zone and increases residential capacity in an accessible location,” the department said.
Willoughby council opted to support the planning request and site-specific development limitations during a meeting in March of this year.
A month later, according to online records, Loftex formally purchased the two-lot site for around $74.26 million.
There are currently two residential flat buildings on the property, one with two stories and the other with three, totaling 57 apartments.
A two-story podium with around 2000 square meters of adaptable commercial and retail space will be part of the design by EM BE CE. The 27 storeys of residential space will have up to 128 apartments. Five flats, or 4% of the total, are expected to constitute affordable housing.
When finished, the construction will be a part of the eastern edge of a group of towers that make up the northeast corner of downtown Chatswood, where high-rise and low-rise residential structures will coexist.
Willoughby Council insisted on a minimum side-boundary setback of 4.5 meters and active street frontages to Help and McIntosh Streets as well as Cambridge Lane in order to support the planning request.
These setbacks will be used by EM BE CE to build Cambridge Walk, a landscaped promenade with a northward orientation. Green space will take up more than half of the plot. A 575 square meter park for residents will be made possible by a setback in the tower at level two.
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A Joint Venture Between John Holland Gamuda and Australia Will Provide the Hunter Valley With a Crucial “Missing Link”
Transport for NSW has chosen a joint venture between John Holland and Gamuda Australia to complete the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace Southern Package, a crucial gap in one of the busiest transportation routes in the nation.
With new congestion-busting interchanges at Black Hill, Tarro, and Tomago, the 10-kilometre dual carriageway freeway extension between Black Hill and Tomago will be made possible by the $1.029 billion southern package.
With an estimated 50,000 drivers utilizing the corridor daily, the existing M1 Motorway, New England Highway, and Pacific Highway carry some of the Hunter region's greatest traffic volumes.
When finished, the M1 Pacific Motorway expansion to Raymond Terrace will avoid the congested areas and intersections along this route, resulting in less traffic on the current network.
The CEO of John Holland, Joe Barr, expressed his team's excitement about completing one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the Hunter.
“We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Transport for NSW to design and build what is a transformational road project for the Hunter region.”
“Projects like this one put our purpose of transforming lives into practice – creating a safer, more accessible road network for the communities who depend on it.”
Following design completion, the major construction of the M1 Pacific Motorway expansion is anticipated to start in 2023.
Coffs Harbour Design Finalised and Construction is to Begin in March
The detailed design for the Coffs Harbour bypass has been finalised, including refinements to the Englands Road, Coramba Road and Korora Hill interchanges, clearing the way for construction to start in March.
Although there have been improvements to the design, the overall layout, including the tunnels, has remained the same.
“This project will be a game-changer for all those who rely on this busy segment of the Pacific Highway, saving them time, increasing safety, improving accessibility to the Coffs Harbour CBD and boosting flood immunity,” said Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister, Catherine King.
“These design changes are minor but will improve traffic flow and be better for motorists as well as nearby residents during construction and operation.
“Importantly, this milestone also paves the way for major construction to begin in March, which will support local jobs and stimulate the state and national economies.”
Following extensive consultation, including on the environmental impact statement and refined design in 2019, during the concept design exhibition in September 2018, and following ongoing discussions with key stakeholders since planning approval in December 2020, the detailed design refinements have been made.
Before these changes were finalised, Transport for NSW and the Ferrovial Gamuda Joint Venture collaborated closely.
NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said, “The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government is securing a brighter future by building the infrastructure that matters to the Coffs Harbour community with the Coffs Harbour Bypass.”
“This project is part of our Pacific Highway upgrade; once this and the M1 to Raymond Terrace projects are complete, you will be able to travel between Sydney and Brisbane, and not encounter a single traffic light.”
“Our Pacific Highway upgrade is making daily life easier for you and your family, not to mention small businesses by providing you with a quicker and safer way to get from A to B.”
The project's refined design is now open for feedback from the community.
State Member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh, said, “One of the key themes we heard during the community consultation periods was the community wanted simplified interchanges and the detailed design incorporates that feedback.”
“The Coffs Harbour Bypass is the most significant infrastructure project in our community’s history and will transform our town by removing 12,000 vehicles from the CBD, making life easier for locals to get to work or drop the kids off at school.
“Nobody in Coffs likes being stuck at traffic lights, especially during the holiday period, and this project removes 12 of them saving 12 minutes off your trip and eases congestion through town.”
The Australian Government is contributing $1.76 billion towards the $2.2 billion Coffs Harbour Bypass project, and the NSW Government is contributing $440 million.