Parramatta’s Aspire tower to convert bedrooms to boardrooms
PARRAMATTA will no longer lay claim to Sydney’s tallest residential building with Walker Corporation scrapping its plans for the Aspire tower.
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PARRAMATTA will no longer lay claim to Sydney’s tallest residential building with Walker Corporation scrapping its plans for the Aspire tower.
At an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday night, councillors supported an option allowing Walker Corporation to explore a commercial tower instead of the planned residential and hotel building.
Once built, the 243m-tower will be Sydney’s third tallest commercial building, behind Chifley Tower at 244m and Citigroup Centre at 243m in Sydney CBD.
The commercial option comes with strict conditions handed down by council including securing a pre-committed tenant for 50 per cent of the building and maintain the building’s 55-storey height and architectural presence as a key building within the $2 billion Parramatta Square urban renewal precinct.
The building also has a new look, created by Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW).
JPW also designed the twin towers at 4 and 6 Parramatta Square, and the Aspire development will now link to the buildings.
David Borger, Western Sydney director of the Sydney Business Chamber, said the change was a “vote of confidence” for Parramatta’s commercial market.
“This is the first time in recent memory that housing is making way for jobs and great news for western Sydney residents,” he said.
Parramatta Lord Mayor Andrew Wilson said the decision recognised the need to satisfy a groundswell of demand for commercial space.
“This is a sensible approach to considering the best use of this building for Parramatta’s long-term economic health and prosperity,” Cr Wilson said.
An economic study commissioned by council earlier this year found the additional commercial space would create an extra 10,000 jobs, resulting in an estimated $31.6 million in retail expenditure in the Parramatta CBD — $19.2 million more every year than would be generated by residents and workers under the current residential scheme for 8 Parramatta Square.
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Tenants on Parramatta Square already include Western Sydney University, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Sydney Water.
National Australia Bank, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, the Environment Protection Authority and NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation have also committed to leasing 3 and 4 Parramatta Square.
The twin towers are expected to be completed in 2019 and 2020, with construction beginning this month.