It was a bank, a nightclub and a failed bike hub. Now this Oxford Street icon has a new fate

A Taylor Square landmark that has sat dormant for more than 15 years is set for a new lease on life after plans were approved to add three storeys and a rooftop, and transform the basement into a live music venue.

The heritage building was originally a bank and later became home to the notorious T2 nightclub, shut down in 2008 by the City of Sydney and the Land and Environment Court after complaints about anti-social behaviour.

Approved: A render of what the former T2 nightclub at Taylor Square will look like following redevelopment.

The council purchased the prominent site the following year, but other than an abandoned plan to turn it into a “family-focused cycling hub”, the building has remained largely unused. As such, it became a lightning rod for critics who accused the council of failing Oxford Street.

Now developer Archon Property, which bought the site for $6.9 million in 2018, has permission to add three storeys in what it bills as an architecturally sensitive restoration that will “enhance an already beautiful landmark with a contemporary addition”.

A planning panel approved the works last week in a three-to-one split decision, with the City of Sydney council supporting approval. The final version differs markedly from the initial proposal, which the council considered unsympathetic to the heritage building.

Under the approved design, the ground floor would be a cafe and restaurant, the basement a live music venue, and the upper floors office space. A rooftop restaurant has been scrapped.

The building pictured in 2010, shortly after it was purchased by the City of Sydney and slated to become a cycling hub.Credit: Domino Postiglione

However, the final iteration still proved controversial, with neighbours lodging about two dozen objections. One, Rowan Harvey, said the revised scheme was “even uglier and less in keeping with the area than the initial proposal”.

Another resident, Heather Leaf, said the design failed to respect the architectural heritage of the building. “A lot of people are in agreement that it looks quite hideous,” she told the planning panel. “Do we really want to overdevelop Surry Hills and Darlinghurst any more?”

Ben Mulcahy, who owns nearby property on Oxford Street, made the lone submission in favour of the redevelopment, saying it looked “brilliant”.

“Taylor Square should have tall buildings,” he wrote. “It would also be great to see hundreds of chairs and tables with umbrellas on the ground floor out the front, [like a] European style public square.”

The future of Oxford Street and its surrounds was a major issue in September’s local government election, with Lord Mayor Clover Moore under pressure from business owners, residents and the LGBTQI community to improve the amenities of what was once a thriving entertainment strip.

A long-planned redevelopment of three council-owned blocks on Oxford Street has turned half the strip into a construction site, while the installation of a bike lane is adding to disruption.

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