Parramatta: Sheraton on the Square hotel, private hospital planned for Hunter St
A $1.1 billion tower housing a private hospital and five-star hotel with a helipad and Michelin-star restaurant will be a ‘world class’ addition to Parramatta’s CBD but it could also spell the end of another heritage building.
Parramatta
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parramatta . Followed categories will be added to My News.
- The latest foodie delights to open in Parramatta Square
- Parramatta’s economy set to boom post pandemic
- How Parramatta Square is transforming the CBD
A $1.1 billion tower housing a private hospital and five-star Sheraton on the Square hotel with a helipad and Michelin-star restaurant will be a “world class” addition to cement Parramatta’s CBD on the global stage under plans by a prominent development company.
But, if it gets the green light, it will also signal the demolition of a heritage-listed two-storey federation house, The Manse.
ICC Development Group is proposing the “medi-hotel” with 150 hospital beds and medical facilities in the same tower at 41-43 Hunter St, which is also occupied by Rotary House.
A helipad could be added to the development, which will feature the 17,000sq m hospital over nine floors at its base, medical commercial suites, including IVF and physiotherapy over eight storeys in the centre, and the luxurious hotel on the summit with 360 degree views of Sydney and surrounds.
A mid-level indoor swimming pool, gym, ballroom and a Michelin-star restaurant are planned for the hotel, with 20 rooms per level.
The Marriott-brand hotel, which will soar to 156m, will have a separate entrance to the hospital but patients and guests will have access to shared health and fitness facilities and the high-end restaurant.
ICC chief executive officer Harold Dakin said the hotel would allow patients to recuperate with five-star food after hospital treatment, while the medical facilities would provide services missing since 1983 when Parramatta Hospital at Marsden St (now known as Jeffery House) closed.
“Adding a striking new hospital in the Parramatta Square precinct, just down the road from the former Parramatta Hospital, will give the residents of Parramatta the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle to complete the Parramatta CBD transformation,’’ Mr Dakin said.
“The return of a world class, state-of-the-art private hospital to the Parramatta CBD, in addition to a five-star hotel will further cement Parramatta’s standing on the world stage.’’
The project’s head of hospital design and development, Dr Harry Panu, will lead the tender process to secure an operator for the private hospital.
The project would generate 2000 construction jobs and 3000 permanent hospitality, medical and professional service jobs on completion — which could be ready by 2023 under a government fast-track project.
The imposing tower would be built on the fringes of the $3.2 billion Parramatta Square redevelopment and besides the vast $400 million St John’s Anglican Church development that will feature two commercial and residential towers up to 45 storeys alongside one of Australia’s oldest churches.
However, the hospital and hotel proposal comes amid a contentious week for Parramatta’s heritage following news the 140-year-old Willow Grove will be relocated to make way for the Parramatta Powerhouse.
The Manse, on the corner of Hunter and Marsden streets, was built between 1895 and 1897 for Scottish Reverend John Paterson, who was ordained into St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at Parramatta.
The charming two-storey federation home was designed by architect Francis Ernest Stowe, of Marsden Street, Parramatta, and is on the local heritage register. It is used as a solicitor’s office.
North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group spokeswoman Suzette Meade implored the developer to build around the heritage property.
“This prominent Hunter St federation Queen Anne revival style 1895 house is one of our final remnants of heritage architecture holding on for dear life in Parramatta,’’ Ms Meade said.
The National Trust of Australia’s Parramatta branch president Cheryl Bates objected to the way the development would impose on St John’s Cathedral.
“The National Trust is greatly concerned about the impact of development in Parramatta and the loss of heritage items,’’ she said.
“Buildings that in the past have been identified as significant local heritage items using strict listing criteria are now being cast aside and plans made as if the land on which they are situated is vacant.
“In Parramatta heritage buildings are seen to be an inconvenience for developers when they should be seen as an integral part of the city given its long and rich heritage.”
Mr Dakin declined to comment on the heritage concerns but said the medi-hotel would serve a “post-COVID world” and deliver world class health care.
“In addition, reactivating the economy with the promotion of tourism and jobs will be critically important as Australia faces its first recession in 29 years,’’ he said.
“What ICC is bringing to Parramatta are two top-tier asset classes where one will focus on first class health, and the other on local corporate tourism.’’
The developers will soon lodge the plans with the State Government, which will determine the fate of the project.
Subject to approval, the Sheraton on the Square would be Parramatta’s first five-star hotel, a title previously reserved for the Hilton until the coronavirus pushed back its completion date for 2024.
Other hotels that are part of Parramatta’s hotel boom include the QT, Holiday Inn Express and an 18-storey tower at Aird St near Westfield.