Penrith parking: Council’s Soper Place multi-level carpark, commercial space approved

A western Sydney car park is set for a dramatic $117m makeover, featuring five levels of parking, a rooftop garden and basketball court, described as a “unique destination that blends work, leisure and play”.

An artists impression of the redeveloped Soper Place Inset: Current car park at Belmore Street.

Plans are in place to give a council car park a dramatic makeover, estimated to cost north of $100m and will include a rooftop garden and basketball court, in a bid to turn the place into a “unique destination that blends work, leisure and play”.

The proposal to revitalise the council-owned car park at Belmore St was first put forward in 2020, following a shortage of parking in the Penrith CBD. Now the redevelopment, estimated to cost $116.7m, has been given the green light.

The ambitious plan will see the at-grade car park demolished to make way for a five-storey multi-level complex with 766 parking spots, along with an adjoining building dedicated to four levels of commercial space.

Titled ‘Soper Place’, the redevelopment will also include a multi-use space consisting of a basketball court/playground, which will be offered up for the community to use for markets, movie nights, functions, events, and concerts. Meanwhile, the ground floor will be retail space.

According to a planner, the objective of the redevelopment is to “align multistorey carparking with both commercial use, community spaces and a publicly accessible landscape roof garden.”

An artists impression of the redeveloped Soper Place complete with a green facade of foliage and vines.

Draped over the future complex will be a green facade of foliage, vines, and planters which when viewed from a distance will resemble a “surface of leaves and seasonal flowers”, a planning document reveals.

Nestled on top of the parking will be a dedicated green space in the form of a rooftop garden which is aimed at improving surrounding air quality and which will be open to the public and feature “extensive plantings.”