North Parramatta: St Patrick’s Quarter development temporarily shelved
Bold plans for a multi-storey school and apartment hub in North Parramatta have been sidelined by the Catholic Church. Now parishioners want answers on how much was spent on the plans.
Parramatta
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Ambitious plans for the St Patrick’s Quarter redevelopment at North Parramatta have been put shelved by the Church but parishioners want answers on funds spent for the planning process.
Parramatta Diocese revealed plans in 2017 for a residential and commercial block with 77 apartments on the corner of O’Connell St and Victoria Rd, and St Patrick’s Cathedral College, a multi-campus school for up to 2000 students from preschool to post-school.
The original plans — which are being rethought” — would have included a five-storey school next to the existing St Patrick’s Primary and the former diocesan headquarters on Victoria Rd.
Plans were under way for the school to operate from 6am to 6pm to cater for modern families, with before and after school care as well as post-school opportunities.
The project would have also included constructing a church administration building next to the cathedral and demolishing the presbytery.
The development was supposed to be completed this year but was canned when surrounding developments such as Bankwest Stadium, the light rail on Church St and the State Government’s compulsory acquisition of a portion of the diocese’s property on Victoria Rd for a bus lane limited its land size.
Parishioners have taken to an online petition to voice concerns over how much money the diocese spent during the planning process, such as development applications and architectural fees.
It follows the departure of parish priest Father Bob Bossini in July, who criticised the diocese’s response when parishoners questioned it over the Quarter development.
In a bulletin in June he wrote: “Ever since the parish stood up to the diocese in regard to the ill-conceived St Pat’s Quarter Project, there has been a move to remove me from my position as parish priest and Dean of St Patrick’s.’’
The diocese has said the claims were unfounded and said Fr Bossini’s contract was due to expire this year.
St Patrick’s Cathedral parishioner Nitesh Lal said he and his fellow worshippers questioned why the diocese was investing in projects such as apartment developments when it is should be adhering to a spiritual role.
He said the decision to dump the St Patrick’s Quarter was welcome but “now everyone’s still asking for them to be forthcoming with the numbers’’.
A Parramatta Diocese spokesman did not answer questions about funds spent on the now defunct development and said the parish council and the diocese responded to “a small number of parishioners’ concerns” directly.
“These concerns were addressed directly and through the various parish representative bodies that help run the cathedral parish,’’ he said.
He said the diocese was exploring how to best use the site since surrounding significant developments reduced its land size and its current development approval was valid until the end of 2022.
“These important developments have meant that the St Patrick’s Quarter project is being rethought and refreshed to take into consideration the changes to the local area,’’ he said.
