Glebe's historic Bidura House part of apartment and townhouse redevelopment

It will see a brutalist building demolished and replaced with four modern, green-focused apartment buildings
Glebe's historic Bidura House part of apartment and townhouse redevelopment
Joel Robinson July 18, 2021

Two years ago DKO Architecture, Archer Office and landscaper Oculus won the design for the redevelopment of the historic Bidura House and adjoining site in Sydney's inner west suburb of Glebe.

Now developer Vision Land Glebe, associated with developers Lina Jin and Yeulai Zhou, has lodged plans for the $32 million development at 357 Glebe Point Road.

It will see the brutalist building, previously occupied by a children's court house and remand centre, demolished and replaced with four modern, green-focused apartment buildings comprising 58 apartments, as well as seven townhouses.

Glebe's historic Bidura House part of apartment and townhouse redevelopment

There will be 14 one-bedroom apartments, 31 two bedders and 13 three-bedroom apartments.

The historic Bidura House, dating back to 1860, has been used for commercial purposes over recent years, however will be restored and converted back in to a residential home.

Bidura House was the home of Edmund Blacket while he was designing the Great Hall of the University of Sydney. The walls are of handmade bricks, rendered to give the appearance of stone coursing.

Some 959 sqm, over 25 per cent of the total 3,794 sqm development, will be committed to communal open spaces.

"The design will provide an appropriate landscape curtilage to the heritage Bidura House and contrast with contemporary planting species, style, function and use," the landscape proposal to the City of Sydney Council read.

Glebe's historic Bidura House part of apartment and townhouse redevelopment

"The landscape design goes beyond the ‘green overlay’ to provide meaningful multi-layered responsive and functional landscape integrating both the public and private landscape.

"Vertical green façades improve visual and temperature amenity, productive rooftop gardens educate and produce food for residents while species design intends to improve the local biodiversity on a micro level."

"The landscape architectural response proposal for Bidura aims to create a communal verdant landscape that is absolutely integrated with the built form of the proposed development, its history and character of Glebe."

Project snapshot:

- Demolition of the existing multistorey concrete Metropolitan Remand Centre (MRC) building, except for some basement walls outside of the proposed basement, which will remain in situ, and associated site preparation works

- Construction of a seven (7) storey RFB with total GFA of 7,193m2 over shared basement behind the Bidura House Group and along the Ferry Lane frontage comprised of: o 14x 1-bedroom apartments; o 31x 2-bedroom apartments; and o 13x 3-bedroom apartments.

- Construction of seven (7) x two (2) storey plus attic terraces facing Ferry Lane and Avon Street frontages

- Use and conservation of the Bidura House Group for a singular residential use in accordance with the HIS, CMP, as well as new garage for future residential parking spaces;

Joel Robinson

Joel Robinson is the Editor in Chief at Urban.com.au, managing Urban's editorial team and creating the largest news cycle for the off the plan property market in the country. Joel has been writing about residential real estate for nearly a decade, following a degree in Business Management with a major in Journalism at Leeds Beckett University in England. He specializes in off the plan apartments, and has a particular interest in the development application process for new projects.

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