Squash courts sold for childcare centre
The Willoughby Squash Club – the last indoor racquet sports centre on Sydney’s lower north shore – has sold following a contentious planning battle over its repurposing as a 135-place childcare centre.
The 1320 square metre corner holding at 443 Willoughby Road, Willoughby, on the corner of Small Street, collected $7.75 million.
The deal comes two and a half years since Willoughby Early Learning applied to replace the building, held by the family which built it 45 years ago.
It closed as a squash centre in May.
Last local racquet sports centre
The Willoughby building contains 10 courts including the city’s only championship double court.
It is also the last indoor racquet sports centre on Sydney’s north shore, according to Keep Squash which, with some 2700 people, signed a petition to retain the facility.
The Willoughby City Council also opposed Willoughby Early Learning’s redevelopment raising concerns about traffic and flood impact.
The permit was instead issued by the NSW Land and Environment Court in December (continues below).
Expected to cost $2.9 million to deliver, including to extend it, the centre will include eight playrooms, administrative areas including staff rooms and offices.
There will be nine outdoor play zones.
CBRE’s Michael Vanstone and Kieran Bourke were the agents.
The price values each place at $57,407.
“The result reflects what we are consistently seeing across the Lower North Shore: patient capital chasing irreplaceable, supply-constrained opportunities with genuine long-term tailwinds,” they said.
Six kilometres north of town, the site is near Mirvac’s the mixed-use redevelopment of the ex-Nine site and the proposed Willoughby Grounds precinct.
Subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page.
