Final residential stage of Sydney's Central Park development gets nod

Frasers Property Australia has been given the green light by the NSW Department of Planning & Environment to develop the final residential stage of Central Park.

The project includes a 292 apartment mid-rise building in the $2 billion Central Park precinct in Sydney's Chippendale.

Frasers Property Australia is developing block 11, a long sinuous building, stretching along the length of Wellington Street.

A design competition was organised for the building under the 2009 concept plan approval for Central Park and Francis-Jones Morehen-Thorp (fjmt) was selected in October 2013, chosen by a panel that included Lucy Turnbull, then a member of the Sydney Metropolitan Development Authority and Chris Johnson, chief executive of Urban Taskforce.

The final piece in Central Park’s residential offering, Block 11 will complete the delivery of over 2,200 apartments across the 5.8 hectare Central Park precinct which has won several awards for urban planning and revitalisation.

The development incorporates a building, ranging from 8 - 13 storeys in height, which curves in the centre to make space for two new public gardens. It will include a mix of one-bedroom suites, two and three-bedroom apartments and a range of two-bedroom dual-key apartments (planned to be launched in late 2016). The design will also incorporate a small amount of mixed-use ground floor retail as well as a childcare centre with capacity for 90 children.

Central Park project director Mick Caddey said the project delivery team is pleased to receive DA approval for this final residential stage of Central Park.

“At its completion, scheduled for 2018, Central Park will have involved a complex nine-year program of design, planning and construction and we are now approaching the last stages of this multi-staged precinct,” Caddey said.

Richard Francis-Jones, design director of fjmt said the practice’s design for this final residential stage of Central Park introduces a curvilinear and fluid architecture.

“The most critical element of the design is the unique façade, which is designed to integrate the outdoor spaces, such as the loggias and balconies, while providing shading and privacy where required,” Francis-Jones said.

“The building is divided into three individual parts, each with its own unique foyer. The western foyer is located directly opposite Chippendale Green. The central foyer is directly opposite Park Lane and the eastern foyer opens onto the northern landscaped area and retail terrace."

Some of fjmt’s recent projects include the harbour-front apartments at Barangaroo South, the Auckland Art Gallery which won the 2013 World Building of the Year award, the University of Sydney Law School, the Surry Hills Library and Community Centre, and The Mint historic restoration.

Sales and marketing of Block 11 are expected to start in mid 2016.

Frasers Property have a free eBook to download titled Australia aspires to global green leadership: The Living Building Challenge which you can get here.