Ex-Penrith Council Chambers to be replaced by chic development

Penrith’s former council chambers are set to be replaced by a stunning new development which will create hundreds of jobs for the city.

Penrith’s former council chambers will be transformed into a new commercial building known as 131 Henry Street.

The stunning redevelopment will create more than 150 jobs through construction and a further 430 jobs on completion.

It will address Penrith CBD’s limited supply of A-grade commercial areas with its 8,000 sqm of flexible commercial space, ground floor retail, on-site parking, green spaces and a chic facade.

Former council chambers to be transformed into chic new commercial building known as '131 Henry Street'.

Said to be the catalyst for Penrith CBD’s revitalisation, the proposed building incorporates environmentally sustainable design and is targeting a minimum of 5 Star Green Star rating.

Developers say it reimagines the building in a sensitive way that respects its history as the former council chambers while providing a modern place to work with cafes and dining.

“131 Henry Street was the home of the former Council Chambers from 1959 until the relocation of Council in 1993 to its current premises,” a council spokesman said.

“The history of the site will be celebrated through a robust heritage interpretation strategy which includes the reuse of building elements and high-quality public domain features.”

A detailed heritage plan will be prepared in the design development phase.

Renowned global architecture firm, Woods Bagot, drew up the grand plan and won the design excellence competition for the building.

Council is now working with the architect to refine the design to ensure it responds to the commercial and financial requirements of the brief.

“Council recognises the important role the former Council Chambers has played in Penrith’s civic history and preserving the heritage significance of the site is a key consideration for the project.”

While the council did think about refurbishing the building, ultimately it found that knocking it down would be the only option.

“Council has considered a number of options for this site and concluded that redevelopment will provide the best outcome for the community.”

“The level of upgrades required to bring the building up to current standards were significant, with the end result still unable to deliver the broad community outcomes that are achievable from a redevelopment of the site.”

Council said it is certain the redevelopment of the former chambers, alongside the future City Park, with revitalise Penrith CBD into an eco-friendly and modern workplace area.

The council will retain ownership of the site and lease the workplaces to commercial businesses.

After the design has been perfected, a Development Application (DA) will be lodged by the end of 2021 and the community can provide feedback on the design.

Work is anticipated to start in late 2022 but this will depend on time needed for planning approvals and procurement processes.