A 21 storey building has been proposed at the site of Campbelltown’s CBC Bank Building

A HIGH rise development proposed at the back of Campbelltown’s historic CBC Bank Building will be 21-storeys if it goes ahead.

A 21 storey building has been proposed behind Campbelltown’s old CBC Building.

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A HIGH rise development proposed at the back of Campbelltown’s historic CBC Bank Building will be 21-storeys if it goes ahead.

The Macarthur Chronicle reported an application for the development of an 18-storey building on the site in March last year.

The development application, now on public exhibition, has been amended to include a further three levels on the building.

Under the plans, structures to the rear of the tower will be demolished while the CBC building will be restored.

The development is proposed to house 101 residential apartments on 19 levels, two levels of commercial tenancies and four levels of basement car parking. The Sydney South West Planning Panel will make a decision on the proposal later this year.

The high rise proposal at 263 Queen St in Campbelltown would sit behind the CBC Building.

The panel will also consider the future of a proposed 20-storey high rise planned on the site of the arcade next to Dumaresq St Cinemas.

Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic said he was concerned about the height of both buildings.

“Regarding the CBC plan. I don’t think 21 storeys is necessarily a good height for that part of Campbelltown, I would be more comfortable if we saw something like 15 storeys,” he said. “The Campbelltown CBD needs high density to help reactivate it, if we want people to use businesses on Queen St then we need people living there.

“If you’re just looking at the location then this is what we want because it’s close to business and public transport but obviously there will be a heritage impact and issues with the height of the building.” Last year the mayor said he preferred a 15-storey limit on the tower proposed in Dumaresq St.

The historic CBC Building was Campbelltown’s first bank.

Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society president John White said the CBC building proposal was completely out of character for the precinct. “This proposal casts a huge shadow over an important part of Campbelltown both literally and figuratively,” he said.

“I understand we need to develop high density in Campbelltown but we shouldn’t be putting developments of this type in that end of the Queen St precinct.

“Any architect with an understanding of heritage could have designed a 10 storey building that could compliment or even enhance the heritage buildings.

“There’s no room for the CBC Building to breathe, with a building that size behind it there’s no way you could stand back and even imagine what that building looked like in the late 1800s.”

Historic landmark

The 1881 CBC building was Campbelltown’s first bank. It was used as a bank until 1985, then housed the Campbelltown Macarthur Advertiser until the publication moved to Narellan.

The submission period for the development application ends on July 17

Visit campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/HaveYourSay.