City on rise: Bankstown plans for southwest’s first rooftop bar
AS BANKSTOWN Sports Club’s 10-storey commercial tower, the Flinders Centre, takes shape, one of its most exciting features will be the rooftop bar, believed to be the first in southwest Sydney.
The Express
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AS BANKSTOWN Sports Club’s 10-storey commercial tower, the Flinders Centre, takes shape on the city skyline, one of its most exciting features will be the rooftop bar, believed to be the first in southwest Sydney.
The Express got a sneak peek at the panoramic views of Sydney CBD, Chatswood and the Blue Mountains from the top of the 45m high tower, which the club hopes to open by July 2018.
Bankstown Sports Club CEO Mark Condi said a development application for a rooftop bar and restaurant was being considered by Canterbury-Bankstown Council.
“One of our arguments has always been if it’s good enough for the Sydney CBD, The Rocks or Melbourne, then it’s good enough for Bankstown,” Mr Condi said.
“We’re finally doing it, it’s quite exciting.”
The venue will feature a bar, pizza ovens and cabanas down one end with an event space catering for up to 300 people.
Level one of the $55 million Flinders Centre has been leased to the UFC Gym and an early learning centre; level two will be used for club administration but levels four to nine are available for lease.
Canterbury-Bankstown has been flagged by the State Government as a major hub for business growth in Sydney and was already home to more than 15,000 local businesses, including 20 of Australia’s top 500 companies.
“This is the only five-star NABERS and five-star green star commercial tower in Bankstown ... it’s probably the only commercial tower as far I know that’s been built in Bankstown since the ’80s,” Mr Condi said.
The green star ratings meant using recycled aggregate in the concrete, recycled water and recycled wood for the formwork, while NABERS was an ongoing environmental assessment on the energy efficiency of tower and that accreditation would not be provided until the building was open. Mr Condi said solar power was planned down the track.
Some of the building’s unique features include glass transparent lifts and a vehicle ramp leading up to the club’s grand ballroom, allowing car shows to be held there.
“With the amount of residential apartments that are going up, the fact that the Metro (rail project) is coming to Bankstown, we think there’s a huge demand to bring commercial back rather than it going to Parramatta, to Homebush or North Ryde,” Mr Condi said.
“I’m pretty passionate about Bankstown and my argument is that Bankstown in terms of location is significantly better than Parramatta. Look at our location, we’re 25 minutes depending on the traffic or the train to the airport, we have our own residential airport, we’ve got a national park waterway, we’ve got the M5 and M7 and we’ve got the metro. The metro’s going to be driverless trains leaving every four minutes and can get to Central in 27 minutes.”
Mr Condi said the club was holding firm in negotiating with some of the larger corporate tenants.
“It’s still early days but I am confident we will get someone significant here, it’s just a matter of time,” he said.
Each of the eight available floors featured 1350 square metres of space, with start-of-the-art energy saving equipment design, technology selection.
The centre is being built by Paynter Dixon, which also built Bankstown Sports Club and the Travelodge extension next door.
The firm has just won an Master Builders Association Excellence in Construction Award for the club’s Peking Square and Basement Brewhouse.
Paynter Dixon construction manager David Trewethy said the Flinders Centre would be a landmark building in the area and it would lift the standard.
“The club’s been very good at doing their developments and this has been a unique opportunity to take over one corner of the site,” Mr Trewethy said.
“This building is unique, it’s going to have many features, it’s not just open office floor plans, there’s lots of balconies and obviously the lifts are a very main feature ... I think you’ll get some very good tenants here.”
CLUB OPENS NEW LOOK CORNERSTONE COFFEE AND KITCHEN
Meantime, Bankstown Sports Club unveiled its completely refurbished cafe — Cornerstone Coffee & Kitchen — on Friday, with a new layout, fresh decor and new food offerings.
“We have upgraded the servery area and have introduced special self-serve drink areas to improve the general flow of service,” the club stated.
“There is also a new coffee roasting area, where guests can see how our own Cornerstone coffee blend is roasted before it is served.”
The seating has been changed to cater for both large and small groups with a mix of private booths, communal and smaller tables.
The Cornerstone cafe is open seven days a week from 7am.
Menu: BankstownSports.com/cornerstone
