Bushells Coffee factory redevelopment in Concord still unclear

The Bushells Coffee factory redevelopment in Concord remains shrouded in uncertainty, but residents are still concerned about the size and reach of the planned site.

The troubled Bushells Coffee factory redevelopment in Concord remains uncertain, but the most recent development activity has seen additions such as increasing the maximum height and listing the factory as a local heritage item.

It was announced in 2017 that the factory – situated at 160 Burwood Rd, on the foreshore of the Parramatta River – would close within five years, with owners Freshfood Sydney eager to convert the structure into a high-rise residential precinct.

The initial plans for the 3.9 hectare site, lodged to Canada Bay council in June 2017, included almost 700 apartments in five towers up to 31-storeys tall.

These plans were rejected by the council.

An early concept design for the proposed redevelopment.

The Bushells Coffee factory is earmarked for closure.

Colliers International, the proposal’s applicant, then deferred talks in 2019 after citing concerns with Canada Bay council’s management of the application, submitting the proposal to the state government directly.

In the most recent planning proposal from June 2020, the application now hopes to have the factory building listed as a local heritage item, alongside some changes to the rezoning of commercial premises.

Notably, the application seeks to increase the maximum height of the buildings from 12m to a range of different heights.

Buildings in the northern boundary will be capped at 18m (five storeys), those in the centre of the site around the old factory will have a new maximum height of 21m (six storeys), those between the central roasting hall building would be allowed at 15m (four storeys), while along the eastern boundary of the site buildings would be capped at 17m (5 storeys) and 21m.

These proposed maximum heights are a marked difference to the previous 12m cap on buildings in the proposed redeveloped precinct.

As at October 2021, in a gateway determination, the Ministry for Planning and Public Spaces said that “the planning proposal should proceed subject to conditions”.

In the determination it also stated it intended to amend the Canada Bay Local Environmental Plan to alter land use zoning, height and floor space ratio controls, and introduce site specific provisions for the Bushells Factory site.

While noting that the redevelopment of the factory is inevitable, residents are worried about the sheer size of the proposal, citing concerns with density and space.

“Like many residents I am concerned with the overdevelopment of this site,” Andrew Ferguson, City of Canada Bay Labor councillor, said.

“There is legitimate concern with overdevelopment and the inevitable traffic and parking problems it will generate in Concord East, specifically Burwood Road and adjacent streets.”

John McKeon, a resident of Concord for 60 years, is a member of the Bayview Action Group and lives on Sanders Pde, a street away from the factory.

“Residents of East Concord all knew the Bushells site would one day be turned into some sort of residential complex,” Mr McKeon said.

“But never in their wildest dreams did they anticipate it would be turned into another Rhodes Peninsular.

“Under the proposal many of the surrounding streets in East Concord will be turned into unacceptable and dangerous ‘rat runs’ and parking lots.”

Burwood Rd is a dead end, and residents fear that an influx of cars and traffic would exacerbate the existing problem within the area.

Residents are also concerned about the density of the site, which is far removed from that of similar sites nearby.

From old to new: the owners of the factory want to convert it into a large residential area.

“The Phillips Landing site is 3.5ha in total, which is about the same size as the Bushells site (3.9ha),” Mr McKeon explained.

“Phillips Landing has only 178 dwellings for a dwellings-to-area ratio of 50:1.

“But Bushells is applying for a rezoning to facilitate over 500 dwellings (plus retail), which would result in a dwellings-to-area ratio of at least 151:1, or 300 per cent greater than Phillips Landing.

This ratio would be three times more dense than anything in the surrounding area.”

Freshfood Sydney did not respond to our request for comment.