Bankstown’s tallest towers project, including 471 units gets greenlight
BANKSTOWN’s civic centre could have a futuristic look with four tall residential and mixed used towers rising to a maximum 83 metres, making them the tallest in the city, after a planning proposal was approved by the council.
The Express
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BANKSTOWN’s civic centre could have a futuristic look with four tall residential and mixed used towers rising to a maximum 83 metres, making them the tallest in the city, after the amended planning proposal was approved by the council.
The towers — ranging up to 25 storeys— will have 471 units, 7054 sq m of retail and commercial tenancies and 794 parking spaces and will be close to the railway station. The tallest building in the city now is the Bankstown Civic Tower at 55m.
The towers will be built at 83–99 North Terrace and 62 The Mall in Bankstown by the owners of Compass Centre, Fioson Pty, if the DA is approved.
The building proposal has been before the council since 2015 and has gone through two public submissions.
As part of the Voluntary Planning Agreement, the council will sell the old library site.
“This is an old derelict building which needs to be developed,” Mayor Khal Asfour said. “For me it’s a no brainer, it is not overdevelopment... if people want to invest here, you need to support the proposal.
“I have had a gutful of the city staying the same.”
The council will own a minimum of 4350 sq m in one of the towers and/plus car parking, if the project goes ahead.
Cr Asfour spoke of the many benefits the towers and related green space development will bring, saying this will bring much savings to the council while providing it $2m in revenue annually, if the council moves into the tower.
The council said the development would be worth $29 million to it. The development, if approved by the Sydney Planning Panel, will complement Western Sydney University’s planned campus in the CBD.
The council said the extra height is an one-off approval and will not affect other developments. Under council’s current controls it would allow them to build up to a maximum height of 17 storeys.
Councillors Rachelle Harika and Alex Kuskoff were among those opposed to the proposal. Cr Harika said it is overdevelopment, gaining cheers from the gallery.
“The State Liberal Government is pressuring our community to bear an unfair burden to increase density without committing the funding required to improve our schools, roads, hospitals and local amenities,” Cr Harika told the Express.
“I made a core promise to the residents in Bass Hill ward that I would stand up and fight against overdevelopment,” Cr Harika said.
“Our community expects and deserves better
“I don’t break promises.
“I have heard it loud and clear that overdevelopment and increasing congestion are the two key issues impacting my community.”