Lakemba: Greek Orthodox Community of NSW lodge plans for $22m community centre

A beloved Greek community club could be knocked down to undergo a multimillion-dollar transformation into a state-of-the-art function, exhibition and retail hub in Sydney’s southwest.

Artist impressions of the proposed $22m new Greek Community Centre.

A beloved Greek community club could be knocked down to undergo a multimillion-dollar transformation into a state-of-the-art function, exhibition and retail hub in Sydney’s southwest.

The Greek Orthodox Community of NSW has lodged plans with the Sydney South Planning Panel for a $22m five-storey community facility including a bar and gaming rooms alongside an arts and cultural exhibition space at 206-214 Lakemba St, Lakemba.

If approved, the current two-storey Greek Community Club, which sits on 5,400sq m, would be demolished to make way for the revamped centre.

The current Greek Community club in Lakemba.

Planners for the project state the centre would have two levels of basement parking and on the ground floor would feature four shops front Lakemba St, a kitchen and bar area, performance theatre, archival room and an arts and cultural exhibition area.

The first level would feature three function rooms, a members lounge, kids play area and galley while the second level would have five meeting rooms, five office spaces alongside a presidential and board room.

The last two floors would have a restaurant, nine office spaces, reception lounge and three meeting rooms.

However, Canterbury-Bankstown council has raised issues with the development, including concerns the proposed 21.5m building height does not comply with the 18m height limit in council’s local environmental plans.

Artist impressions of the proposed $22m new Greek Community Centre.

Council also raised concerns about the activation of the proposed retail and commercial spaces and the potential impact of the plans on the “amenity of adjoining residential properties”.

The Sydney South Planning Panel recommended for council and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW to “urgently resolve the development description and the question around whether the development application is integrated development.”

The Greek Orthodox Community of NSW is one of Australia’s oldest organisations representing Greek migrants.

The organisation runs churches, a hostel for the aged community, kindergartens and migrant related social services across the state.

The Canterbury-Bankstown local government area had 1.9 per cent of the residents who listed Greece as their country of birth, according to 2021 statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.