An artist’s rendition of the proposed heritage plaza at The Works development. The plaza would be open to the public with cafes, eateries and shops. Photo: Legacy Property.
The second stage of development at the former Corrimal Coke Works site will be fast-tracked, with increased height limits on the cards.
The developers of The Works have submitted an application to the Housing Development Authority to be declared a state significant development. If approved, the total number of dwellings on the site could increase substantially from the 550 proposed in the original master plan.
As the site is also part of the NSW Government’s Transport Oriented Development program, it’s also eligible to increase height limits from four to six storeys.
Senior project director for the developer, Legacy Property, Steve Ball said stage one would roll out as originally intended, with 179 apartments arranged across four-storey towers.
“The first cab off the rank for us was the demolition of dangerous and derelict buildings and the preservation of historic elements of the site,” he said.
“Demolition has occurred and we received approval for bulk earthworks which are all but completed.
“That enabled more detailed earthworks for stage one to begin, and we’re moving towards approval and consent through the council to begin construction of those buildings, hopefully in the middle of the year.”
The second stage will feature the same number of homes originally proposed – 201 – however, this stage will take advantage of the increased height limit and some of the apartment blocks will be six storeys high.
The second stage will also include 53 affordable units in a mix of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments.
These units will be available for rent to very low- or moderate-income earners at a discount to the market rent for a comparable property in the area, thanks to the support of housing organisations or the government.
There are strict eligibility criteria, and after 15 years the dwellings can be sold off or rented at market rate.
Including the affordable dwellings means the remaining stages of The Works will be eligible for floorspace and height bonuses offered under the NSW Government’s State Significant Development scheme.
Mr Ball said Legacy Property was keen to take advantage of the opportunity to get subsequent stages underway as quickly as possible.
“Our builder, GrowthBuilt, is ready to go,” he said.
“We have been accepted into the State Significant Development pathway for stage two and we’re very pleased to take that approval pathway.
“Once works on stage one commence it’s all systems go and we will begin preparing other areas of the site.
“All the same stakeholders and community engagement are involved but ideally this will allow us to begin construction of stage two at the end of 2026.”
Mr Ball said the development’s environmental sustainability goals, including a pledge to retain more than 50 per cent of the 18 ha site as undeveloped green space, would not be affected by the changes.
The green space will include publicly accessible areas, bike and pedestrian pathways for all Corrimal residents.
Mr Ball said the priority for Legacy Property was to get homes built as quickly as possible, rather than significantly increase the number of dwellings on the site.
“We’ve always been of the belief the site can support more [than 550] homes, but the overall philosophy of the site is not to maximise as much as possible,” he said.
“We want to look at some six-storey apartment buildings for stage two and we will carefully craft where that extra height belongs.
“The affordable housing offered in stage two is well in excess of the two per cent required and will support the remainder of the development; it’s something we’re very proud of.
“We’re very pleased to have been identified and confirmed as a state significant project; it provides more certainty for larger projects like ours.
“All the same stakeholders will be involved and the community trust we’ve built over the years is important for our success; we take community engagement very seriously.
“We’ve been working on this for a very long time, so we couldn’t be more ready.”
