Newtown: Wilford St proposal seeks 6 storey mixed use building with retail, office and 40 units

Sydney’s inner west could be set for one of its tallest buildings yet, with developers eyeing off the site of a popular craft brewery to build a six storey apartment block.

The development would be six and five storeys. Picture: Supplied

Developers have Sydney’s inner west in their sights with plans to build a six storey mixed use development on the site of a popular brewery.

The bold $20.9m plan seeks a part six-storey, part five-storey shop-top housing development to be built at Wilford St in Newtown, the current site of Young Henrys brewery.

Included in the plan are 40 apartments — seven of which would be affordable — plus ground floor office, and retail space, and two levels of basement parking.

The plan, which would require knocking down several existing industrial buildings including the Young Henrys brewery, would also include 600sq m of communal open space.

However, the iconic Newtown beer brand wouldn’t be entirely written out of the future, with the proposal’s ground floor commercial space described as “suitably sized” to potentially accommodate future operations, subject to a separate DA.

The development would be six and five storeys. Picture: Supplied

Planners are seeking to bypass local planning controls, with the building’s height slated to be 21.14m – four metres higher than the maximum of 17m.

If the height variation is granted, the building would tower over surrounding streets, which are predominantly made up of one to two storey dwellings, and three storey mixed-use developments.

Young Henrys brewery would be knocked down.

Initial feedback from Inner West Council stated the building’s height would need to be reduced to align with local standards.

However, according to planners, the building’s “high-quality architectural design” would minimise any sunlight, privacy, and visual impacts on neighbours.

Council staff also said the proposal’s “excessive” residential gross floor space did not fit the area’s desired future character, which is meant to be “dynamic, diverse” and with “ a commercially active presence”.

Planners argued the significant allocation of residential floor space was justified by the provision of affordable housing, and the desperate need for housing supply.

The site has long been earmarked by the council as a “key site” which will play a crucial role in the area’s transformation from light industrial to a higher-density, mixed-use urban environment.

Developers first lodged the plan back in May, and it is currently under assessment before the council.