Gurner’s Alexandria Scheme Wins State Significant Status

Developer Tim Gurner’s plan to build 120 apartments in Sydney’s inner south is among proposals to clear the first stage of NSW’s State Significant Development pathway.

The shovel-ready plan is for shoptop housing at 444-450 Gardeners Road, Alexandria, and includes a monetary contribution for affordable housing to the City of Sydney.

In 2017 Gurner filed plans for the site designed by Warren and Mahoney that included 94 apartments and 89 parking spaces to replace a standalone warehouse on the site at a cost of $33 million. 

Now planned for the 3950sq m site are two high-end commercial showrooms on Gardeners Road, a cafe at Birmingham Street and about 120 luxury two and three-bedroom apartments.

Gurner’s project is one of 30 declared as a State Significant Development in the latest round from the Housing Delivery Authority. The round contains a potential 10,800 homes. 

Other notable applications include a plan for 900 apartments near the mall on Oxford Street at Bondi Junction by Apt.Residential, led by Matthew Carolan and George Confos.

In Wollongong, Level 33 is expanding its foothold with a 1500 apartment scheme, of which 260 would be affordable, at 73-77 Gipps Street and 60-74 Flinders Street. 

It follows the developer’s CBD plans that were increased to 26 storeys and 334 apartments last month. Those plans were declared state significant in April.

▲ Rendering of Gurner’s proposed shoptop development in Sydney from earlier application documents that match those on the developer’s website.

Aqualand Prestige, part of the bigger Sydney property conglomerate, is planning 100 apartments at 51-55 Archer Street, Chatswood, that would include 15 per cent affordable homes, while Catalina Developments has plans for eight buildings and 550 apartments at Lot 4 Farmland Drive, Schofields. 

Freecity’s plans for a mammoth build-to-rent development with 708 apartments and 123 co-living apartments at 89 and 91 George Street, Parramatta, also made the cut.

Stage one of Walker Corp’s Parramatta development that comprises 500 apartments of the 2000-home scheme across 11 buildings of up to 40 storeys at 198-200 James Ruse Drive, 15-19 Collett Parade and 137 Pennant Street are also included, while Traders in Purple can move forward with plans for 130 apartments, including 25 to 30 per cent affordable, at 104-108 Victoria Road, Rozelle. 

Since the start of the year 187 proposals amounting to more than 70,100 potential homes have been declared state significant through the Housing Development Authority.