Parramatta: Tallest tower, 75 storeys planned at Great Western Highway
A proposal for a 75-storey residential apartment block for Parramatta — set to be nearly as large as the Crown casino and hotel at Barangaroo — would be the tallest building in Sydney’s booming west if it is approved. But already it has been slammed as ‘sheer madness’ over its intended use.
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A proposal to build a towering 75-storey apartment block planned for Parramatta would be the tallest in the booming western suburbs if it is approved. But opponents say the CBD needs more offices, not homes.
GLN Planning has lodged plans for the site at 8-14 Great Western Highway, currently owned by JM Malouf Investments.
Councillor Benjamin Barrak slammed the plan for about 400 units on the site, saying it impeded Parramatta’s plan to become a “significant CBD”.
“What on earth are we doing? The majority of proposals that we get inside the CBD are for residential towers,” Cr Barrak said.
“We have to create the employment space so this becomes the true centre of western Sydney. This is bigger than Barangaroo. It’s sheer madness.’’
Once the Crown casino and hotel at Barangaroo is completed, it will also be 75 floors, including the mezzanine, and soar to 271.3m. Comparatively, the Parramatta building is slated to be 243m.
Parramatta Deputy Lord Mayor Michelle Garrard hit back and said residents wanted to live in the city they worked in.
“Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to live in the city where they’re working? We’re creating, in Parramatta Square, 20,000 jobs with the developments that are coming there.
“NAB is coming there. A lot of the state departments are moving back to Parramatta, the education precinct (department) being one of them so there’s a lot of interest in people living in the city where they work.’’
Under the design excellence system, 75 storeys is permitted in Parramatta’s CBD.
The tower is not the only tall poppy planned for Parramatta. Before this proposal, a 69-storey unit block planned for 2 O’Connell St was the tallest slated for the suburb.
The current tallest building in western Sydney is the Meriton Altitude apartments and hotel in Church St, Parramatta, which is 53 storeys high.
It is still seeking full approval from the State Government.
The council will next discuss the 75-storey item at its meeting on Monday before it progresses to the Planning Department, which will ultimately determine the proposal.