AsheMorgan, TOGA to extend Oxford St shops with hotel, office
After striking a 99 year lease with City of Sydney for three historic Darlinghurst buildings on blocks covering 40 per cent of Oxford Street’s retail between Oxford and Taylor squares, AsheMorgan, with developer TOGA, has applied to redevelop them.
Their proposal will include shops, creative spaces, a 75 suite hotel and 7600 square metres of office area.
Branded The Darlinghurst Collection, it incorporates addresses 56-76, 82-106 and 110-122 Oxford St – less than a kilometre east of Sydney CBD’s Hyde Park.
TOGA has a development track record in the pocket, beginning with the refitting of the Crown Street Women’s Hospital into the Adina Apartment Hotel in 1994.
It is presently replacing the Surry Hills Shopping Village as a mixed-use community (which will see ‘Shopping’ dropped from the name when it reopens).
AsheMorgan, which controls assets worth more than $4 billion, agreed on the long-lease for the Darlinghurst sites last November.
Significant opportunity to spark renewal: developers
The Darlinghurst project will retain historic façades.
“The plan for the development outlines 2300 sqm of activated ground plane and laneway retail, enhancing connectivity through pedestrian links between Oxford and Foley streets,” a statement said.
“It also includes…1600 sqm of cultural and creative spaces, as part of AsheMorgan’s future program for creative start-ups and businesses in the local area”.
The partnership said it expects the development “to spark renewal and transformation” in Darlinghurst and surrounding neighbourhood.
“The Darlinghurst Collection presents an exciting and significant opportunity to help shape the future of one of Sydney’s cultural meccas,” according to TOGA chief executive Fabrizio Perilli.
“Our vision for the site is to create a diverse, and uniquely Darlinghurst precinct, that reflects the values of the local community and the significant heritage of the area (story continues below).
“We plan to enrich and grow the community that enjoys Darlinghurst by bringing a range of amenity to the area that will ensure it is thriving, day and night.
“The development will contribute to the local economy, through a new commercial ecosystem that will integrate creative and cultural start-ups, bringing jobs and businesses to the area.
The Darlinghurst Collection design
Architect fjmtstudio penned the project.
Design director Richard Francis Jones said it will interplay the historic buildings with a series of glass and metal forms.
“This composed integration of heritage and advanced architectural form will create sustainable and inspiring places to work, while invigorating the street life of Oxford St and the authenticity of its laneways”.
A renewal of the Foley St laneway with City of Sydney is also now earmarked.
“The commercial spaces will be heritage inspired with open, flexible floorplates, break out areas and a focus on natural light, with some tenancies having access to outdoor space,” Mr Francis Jones said.
“The commercial buildings will also include a rooftop extension with high ceilings capturing northerly aspect with views to the CBD and Sydney Harbour”.
A rooftop pool and sundeck is also earmarked for the hotel.
AsheMorgan principal – Investor Relations and Acquisitions, Mendy Moss, added “the sensitive adaption of the buildings will celebrate the history and heritage of the area while ensuring they cater to the requirements of modern workplaces and the wider community”.
