By Megan Gorrey
The National Trust is opposing plans to demolish part of a historic postal building near Sydney’s Central Station to erect a 45-storey hotel and office tower, arguing it would make a mockery of the state’s heritage protections.
The trust has objected in the “strongest possible terms” to developer TOGA Group’s $383 million plan to build above the former Parcels Post building, citing the “irreversible detrimental impact” on the old brick structure.
The concept for the tower development, prepared by Bates Smart, won a design competition for the prominent site.
In a submission to the Planning Department, the trust said the proposed tower at Railway Square would require extensive demolition of the heritage-listed building, which opened in 1913.
“The design merits of the new hotel building cannot justify its placement on top of and completely around two sides of what was and must remain a landmark building at the gateway to Sydney,” the trust’s conservation director David Burdon said.
The state government is pushing to reshape 24 hectares around Central Station at the southern end of Sydney’s CBD, which forms the “western gateway” to its Tech Central jobs zone from Haymarket to South Eveleigh.
According to the TOGA Central proposal, the project would include the conservation, refurbishment, and adaptive reuse of the historic post office – also known as the Adina Hotel building – to include a commercial lobby and hotel concierge facilities, cafe and restaurant, co-working space, function and conference area, and a rooftop terrace.
The tower plan also includes offices, hotel facilities, shops, a supermarket and improved public outdoor plazas.
If approved, the development would stand beside tech giant Atlassian’s 40-storey office block.
In its submission, the National Trust said plans to install two large structural beams through the building to support the tower above would be “intrusive and irreversible”. It said demolishing two-thirds of the building’s eastern facade, including the south-east corner, was “totally unnecessary”.
“This simply cannot occur – to do so would make a mockery of the whole heritage process in NSW.”
The National Trust is objecting to plans to demolish two-thirds of the building’s southern facade, towards the rear of the building.
Burdon said it was “inconceivable that a building which remains in public ownership can be demolished to such an extent to facilitate a hotel proposal”.
The trust also argued inadequate planning for the western gateway had created an “agglomeration of towers, sitting atop historic buildings, within the boundary of the state heritage register listing of Central Station”.
“In the right setting, these contemporary towers could be considered good examples of modern Australian architecture, yet as they stand they represent some of the worst contemporary built outcomes for our cities.
“We have to question our priorities, and regret our legacy,” the trust said.
A heritage statement, prepared by consultants Urbis, said there would be “minimal intervention” to the building’s northern or western facades facing towards the station and George Street, while the location of the two large support beams had been chosen to minimise disruption to the building’s internal heritage features.
The Heritage Council of NSW found the proposal was “generally acceptable” given the site had been rezoned for more intensive development.
“Although our preference is for the new tower to be freestanding and the cantilevered component to be externally supported, we acknowledge the site constraints and structural engineering design limitations have ultimately shaped the design outcome.”
A spokesman NSW Department of Planning and Environment said maintaining the significant heritage of the Central Station area had been a critical part of planning for the future technology and innovation precinct.
The former Parcels Post building is considered to have historical significance due to its association with the development of Central Station and connections with the NSW rail and postal services in the early 1900s.
“Both the TOGA and Atlassian buildings were subject to architectural design competitions, which were chaired by the NSW Government Architect,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said extensive design, strategic and technical work had been done to plan for the future of Tech Central as part of the process to rezone the area during the past two years.
TOGA Group, which is leaseholder for the site, has said the winning concept, designed by Bates Smart, “combines the beauty of the former Parcels Post Office building with inspiring new architecture and public realm”.
The department requested TOGA Group respond to the submissions before it assesses the proposal.
The Independent Planning Commission will decide the proposal’s fate.
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