City delivering first new town centre in 100 years

Construction of up to 10 major new buildings at Green Square could be underway by Christmas as the first new town centre in the City of Sydney in more than a century takes shape.

Mixed-use privately-owned developments ranging from three to 28 stories will form a major part of the Green Square Town Centre, providing many of its 3,700 new homes and 8,500 new jobs.

Built on former industrial land just four kilometres south of the city centre, the new town centre will form the heart of one of the fastest growing parts of metropolitan Sydney.

To provide the best facilities possible, the City of Sydney will spend $440 million building roads, drainage and community facilities, including a library, public plaza and an aquatic centre and sports park.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the project was the biggest the City had ever undertaken and it was taking advice from Danish architect Jan Gehl, one of the world’s leading designers, to help ensure its success.

“Green Square is Australia’s biggest urban renewal project and the City is working to ensure it’s a beautiful, sustainable and well-functioning neighbourhood. Once it’s complete it will completely transform the southern part of our city,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“We’ve been working with UrbanGrowth NSW (formerly Landcom), Leighton and Mirvac, and our commitment from the start has been to get the provision of streets, public spaces and community facilities right.

“Now we have enlisted world renowned urban designer Jan Gehl to provide advice on how we can make sure the public areas and facilities we are building, complement the apartments, offices and shops the private sector is constructing.

“Jan Gehl is renowned for his ability to design beautiful and well-functioning public spaces. He drove the idea of transforming George Street into a huge pedestrian and light rail plaza connecting new public squares with Central, Town Hall and Circular Quay, because of the benefits it will deliver the community. We are delighted he’s now working with us to establish leading public spaces and facilities at Green Square.

“With construction of up to 10 new buildings in the Green Square Town Centre due to start this year, the area will quickly be transformed from a largely industrial zone into an exciting new place for people to live, to work and enjoy.

“We want the best facilities we can provide and have just begun a design competition for a new aquatic centre and sports park. The winners of an earlier design competition are already at work refining their plans for the new library and plaza.

“We’re also building a childcare centre and a creative community hub to provide space for artists, performers and community groups as well an introducing exciting new public art.

“Less glamorous, but just as important, is the work we are doing creating new streets, and footpaths and building drainage systems.”

Green Square Town Centre is being built over 14 hectares and is part of the 280 hectare Green Square redevelopment area that includes land in five suburbs between the city and the airport.

About 40 per cent of the town centre is being built by the Green Square Consortium, a group made up of UrbanGrowth NSW, Mirvac and Leighton Contractors.

The City is developing the Green Square Town Centre in close cooperation with the NSW Government. It is working closely with Sydney Water to carry out major trunk drainage works, and UrbanGrowth is contributing to land acquisitions needed for the new town centre.

To help fund the public infrastructure, the City has negotiated planning agreements with developers who will contribute an additional $90 million towards the town centre.

The new town centre, next to Green Square railway station, will form the heart of Green Square village, one of the country’s biggest re-development projects. An estimated 50,000 people are expected to be living there by 2030 with around 22,000 jobs generated.

Development applications for 1,577 apartments are expected to be lodged in the coming months with work on many of these projects expected to begin this year.

An application for a further 104 affordable housing apartments to be constructed by CityWest Housing has already been approved,  with work expected to be well under way by the end of the year.