Macquarie Park Park: Meriton reveals plans for northern Sydney's tallest skyscraper

New plans have been revealed to build the tallest building in Sydney’s north as part of a mega development by property giant Meriton. But the local mayor has vowed to oppose the project:

New plans have been revealed to build the tallest building in Sydney’s north as part of a $368 million development by property giant Meriton.

The Macquarie Park skyline would be eclipsed by three towers standing up to 59 storeys tall overlooking the M2 motorway, Macquarie University and the Macquarie Centre.

Plans show the development at 100 Talavera Rd would have 1072 units split across the three buildings standing 36, 45 and 59 storeys tall.

A concept plan of the new Meriton development.

The proposal is the latest Meriton development planned in Macquarie Park.

The tallest of the three towers would surpass the height of every skyscraper north of the harbour bridge, including the suburbs of Chatswood, St Leonards and North Sydney.

Meriton’s plans for the site include a 120-space childcare centre, retail tenancies, a restaurant, gym and basement carparking with 1256 spaces.

There would also be communal open space with features such as barbecues, a swimming pool, and a “nature playground” for children.

The development is the latest stage of Meriton’s growing presence in Macquarie Park which already includes a 27 storey unit complex directly west of the site.

Ryde Mayor Jordan Lane has concerns over the project.

The current proposal is a revised version of earlier plans for the site which was met with more than 400 submissions raising concerns over the scale of the building and “overdevelopment”.

Ryde’s newly elected mayor Jordan Lane said he was expecting similar feedback from residents in response to the latest proposal.

“A building of this height should never have been entertained in the first place and the community have every right to be angry at the previous term of council for effectively giving it the green light,” he said.

A photo showing the location of the development.

“It’s the single largest development in Ryde which has already been overdeveloped. I think there’s a need for more sustainable and more modest developments but not high-rise going to the moon.”

Meriton said the project would address population growth in Sydney’s north which under state government targets requires 92,000 more homes to be built by 2036.

A company spokesman said it would also provide new jobs as NSW recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This project will create more than 4000 jobs and supply the state with much needed housing,” he said.

“Sydney is in the grip of a historic drop in new housing supply, driven by a collapse in apartment developments, which could exacerbate the city’s shortage and push up prices just as population growth is poised to increase post-pandemic.

An overview of the development, showing where the three towers would be built.

Meriton said the company had also noticed more buyers seeking larger apartments due to more people working from home.

“Space and convenience for many buyers topped that list, therefore we are designing to accommodate this demand and supply the market with what it wants,” he said.

In early meetings with Meriton, Ryde Council had requested more planning detail on the proposal including building heights, traffic and parking.

The proposal remains under assessment and if approved is expected to take about two years to complete.