Scentre plans huge tower for Parramatta

Shopping centre giant Scentre is refining its plans for a landmark office tower in the Parramatta CBD.

Scentre head Peter Allen. Picture: James Croucher

Shopping centre giant Scentre is refining its plans for a landmark office tower in Parramatta CBD as it joins the rush of commercial landlords developing in the area.

The group has drafted architects Woods Bagot for advice on its proposed building, the Argyle Tower, above Westfield shopping centre. The tower is to span about 100,000sq m of office space in 40 levels above the centre, and Scentre has already spoken to prospective tenants.

The owners of the existing complex, Scentre and Singapore’s GIC, won concept-plan approval for a 25-storey tower in 2014 but now want to build a prestigious, five-green-star office to attract big private or government agencies.

The group declined to comment on the scheme but The Australian has seen designs of the tower including Optus signage, with the telco among the tenants the shopping centre is likely to target for a pre-commitment.

Optus leases a campus-style complex of almost 85,000sq m in Macquarie Park, in Sydney’s northern suburbs. While the lease is not due to expire until mid-2022, Optus might consider a move, although landlords AMP Capital and AIMS Financial have not been notified of any shift.

Scentre said it had changed its tower design to make it more slender but would still offer outsized floor plates of 2400-2500sq m that larger tenants were chasing.

In December, billionaire Lang Walker said he would build the largest skyscraper in the western Sydney hub after securing a deal with the NSW government to house thousands of public servants. He won approval to develop two commercial towers in Sydney’s west as part of the $2 billion Parramatta Square project.

Property group Dexus is also building another tower in Parramatta. The group’s office partnership last month lodged plans for a 33-level tower at 140 George Street Parramatta.

Private groups are also active, with Coombes Property and Drivas Property planning a four-storey and a 24-storey building. spanning just over 39,000sq m.