Former Westpac Bank, Pennant Hills: Apartment proposal for 370 Pennant Hills Road, 3 Fisher Ave.

A heritage-listed building could soon be revived after fresh $4.5 million plans were lodged to transform what once was a Bank of NSW branch. Get your first look inside the proposal here.

A heritage building in the heart of Hornsby Shire could soon receive a new breath of life after development plans, valued at $4.5 million, were lodged for a site once home to the Bank of NSW.

Recently lodged plans propose transforming this two-storey building into a mixed use development, with seven apartments and two commercial tenancies.

This site is located at 370 Pennant Hills Rd, bordering 3 Fisher Ave, Pennant Hills — near Pennant Hills train station and around 1km from Pennant Hills High School.

The heritage building was first constructed in 1938 and owned by the Bank of NSW.

In 2022, GBA Heritage undertook an independent assessment of the building’s significance.

What it could look like … artist impression by Jackson Teece Architects.

A 1939 photograph of the bank, viewed from Fisher Ave.

“The former Bank of NSW building at Pennant Hills has historical significance as a sign of the growth and success of the area in the late 1930s, and of the Bank of NSW’s confidence in that growth,” the report reads.

“The bank’s role in supporting the community through most of the Depression and beyond, and as creator of the building, gives it associational and social significance.”

A 1939 photograph of bank, just after construction was completed.

Since then, the site has changed hands at multiple points — it was once a Westpac branch, which closed in 1990s. The site was then acquired by a new owner.

Speaking to the Hornsby Advocate, the associate director at GBA Heritage Dov Midalia said the building had been neglected over the course of time.

“The building has seen significant, often visually unsympathetic alterations over time, including a new stairwell on one side, new extensions and stairs at the rear and bulky mechanical plant on the rear roof,” he said.

“The three street facades, however, have remained generally intact, other than the inevitable effects of time on an 80-year-old building and replacement of the bank’s original signage with new commercial signage.”

An overview of the proposed development.

Artist impression of the new apartment block.

Mr Midalia said the proposed conservation works would help fund the heritage building’s long term maintenance and enhance its future sustainability.

The proposed works include repairing the brick facades, repainting of the timber windows and, if possible, restoring the original signage.

“All in all, the building will be refreshed and given a new lease on life,” Mr Midalia said.

Now, the current development plans propose retaining the existing two-storey heritage-listed building, which would be home to two new commercial tenancies and one three-bedroom apartment.

In the largely unused rear car park, there are plans to construct a new three-storey residential flat building, containing six apartments and undercover carparking.

The development proposal will be determined by Hornsby Shire Council in the coming months.