1987: Sydney Regional Centres Feature

Source: Pelly, M. 1987. "Suburbs that spawn cities within a city". The Daily Telegraph, August 1: 20. 

The Daily Telegraph in 1987 published a feature report on commercial development in three Sydney regional centres - Bondi Junction, Chatswood and Parramatta. The 1980s saw a boom in office development in these centres, already well established due to public transport (including being located on major rail lines), and also acting as established retail and entertainment centres. 

If we fast forward four decades, Parramatta has made the most progress. Even in the 1980s, it was a major growth centre and continues to be so. It is Sydney's Second Central Business District (CBD) and planning guidelines now allow development in central Parramatta to be treated as if it were being done in central Sydney.  Under the planning blueprint - The Sydney Plan (2018), Parramatta is regarded as one of three metropolises within Greater Sydney, alongside the Sydney CBD and Bradfield. Major skyscrapers that one would normally find in Sydney's CBD have made their presence felt. The tallest tower is the 225 metre/57 storey 6 & 8 Parramatta Square.

High-rise development continued into the 1990s for Bondi Junction and Chatswood, but the decade saw greater emphasis on residential towers, and both also continued to evolve as retail centres. 

Westfield expanded their retail complexes in both centres. The redevelopment of Westfield Bondi Junction (incorporating Bondi Junction Plaza, Carousel and the Grace Bros site) in the early 2000's into a single retail complex would make it a flagship centre for the Westfield Group upon completion in 2004. This cemented Bondi Junction as a retail destination for the Eastern Suburbs, attracting luxury labels from Double Bay or Oxford Street, Paddington. 

Chatswood has benefited from the construction of the Metro North West, City and Bankstown Line and its predecessor Epping-Chatswood Rail Line. This has opened up access to those at North Ryde and North West and, in late 2026, Bankstown. 

The Metro West Line (Hunter Street, City to Westmead) will provide those travelling between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD with a faster service, relieving the existing T1 Western Line when completed in 2032. Major towers are planned for the blocks located directly above the proposed Parramatta Metro Station and will be easily connected to existing Light Rail and heavy rail lines. 

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Grace Bros Chatswood Office Tower (1969)

Full Citation Below

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Grace Bros were focused on expansion into the suburbs. Grace Bros had opened in Chatswood in 1961 and were keen to expand the store. In 1969, a proposal was submitted to Willoughby Council for a retail development. An enlarged Grace Bros department store would anchor the centre, along with specialty stores and additional parking, which would cross over Anderson Street (as Westfield does at present) into the block bounded by that street, along with Albert Avenue, Spring Street, and Victoria Street. 

The footprint, in effect, encompasses the current Westfield complex. If Grace Bros had proceeded with their expansion plans, the layout of Westfield Chatswood would likely be different today and would have had implications for any future expansion or development that Westfield undertook. With Grace Bros having a more established shopping centre, Chatswood Chase may not have been built, meaning Chatswood may not have two major shopping centres today.  

 

Source: Anonymous. 1969. "$20 M Bonanza". The Daily Mirror, March 6: 2.  

Westfield would eventually develop the block that was to have been developed by Grace Bros, opening in 1986. The expansion of the department store did proceed, opening the following year (1970), which was featured as Stage 1 of the project. The store would be integrated into Westfield Chatswood in 1999 as part of an expansion of the centre. 

Property Advert of the Week: Regency Chatswood East Tower Launch (1998)

Below is a 1998 newspaper advertisement promoting the launch of The Regency Chatswood East Tower. Apartments were on sale in the tower from just $170 000.

Source: Walker Corporation. 1998. "Regency Chatswood" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 13: 11RE (Real Estate Liftout). 

Related Entries

Property Advert of the Week: The Regency, Chatswood (1998)

Property Advert of the Week: Regency, Chatswood (2001)

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Chatswood's "Twin Towers" (1985)

Source: Anon. 1985. "Twin towers planned for Chatswood". The Sydney Morning Herald, October 10: 13. 

Welcome to Part Five in our current series of "never builts". In 1985, plans were released by Girvan to build a commercial development in airspace above the North Shore Rail Line at Chatswood. This encompasses land on either side of the rail line north of Help Street up to O'Brien Street and bounded by Railway Street (Western side) and Cambridge Lane (Eastern side).

It was planned that the towers would rise above the railway line and enable both sides of the Chatswood Central Business District to be connected.

Source: North, N. 1985.  "Chatswood Connections will be a place for people". The Northern Herald, December 12: 14.

Two office towers containing a combined 105 000 sq/m of space was proposed along with a hotel, retail space, landscaped plaza, convention centre and cinemas. The tall building heights would enable for maximum utilisation of the site for public use.

Revised plans were released in 1989. 

Source: Anon. 1989. "Five star hotel for North Shore". The Daily Telegraph, December 5: page unknown.

The following year, Girvan Corp Limited (Developer) went into receivership and the site was placed for sale. The towers would not be built. 

Between 2002 and 2013, Mirvac developed the vacant sites, including four towers and one medium density building. 

On the Railway Street side, three major apartment towers were built. A common area was built over the railway line for the residents of the buildings on either side. 

Altura (2003) - 25 stories/75 metres

Epica (2005) - 33 Stories/96 metres

Era (2013) - 43 stories/135 metres

On the Eastern side of the Railway line, Cambridge 24 stories/85 metres (2007) was built along with B2M in Cambridge Lane.

Above: Cambridge Tower.

Above: B2M

A pedestrian walkway was built to link both sides of the railway line which goes under the North Shore railway line. Public spaces were also provided. A small landscaped park is located between Era & Epica in Railway Street and a small plaza is located at the Corner of Cambridge Lane & Help Street.

Above: Railway Street Park.

Above: Public Plaza at the Corner of Cambridge Lane & Help Street.

This was a lost opportunity for Chatswood as the proposal would have been a destination in itself but also could have possibly attracted a major firm (especially today) in terms of leasing office space within the towers. It was a project that would have truely connected both sides of the suburb. The redevelopment of Chatswood Interchange in the 2010's has helped with linking both sides of the suburb but would not make the impact that could have possibly had occurred. 

Skyscraper Data featured in this entry was sourced from Emporis. Photos were taken by the Author in 2021. 

Property Advert of the Week: Rosedale - Chatswood (1971)

Below is an advertisement from 1971 promoting apartments for sale in the Rosedale complex. It is located at 420-422 Mowbray Road, Chatswood.

While the advertisement is listed as Lane Cove, it is located within the boundaries of Chatswood.

The price of the three bedroom units would equate to approximately $242 500 in todays money according to the RBA inflation calculator.

Source: Progress & Properties Ltd. 1971. Untitled (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, June 12: 44.

Property Advert of the Week: Regency, Chatswood (2001)

Back in 2014, I shared an advertisement promoting the sale of apartments in The Regency Towers at Chatswood. Below is one from 2001:

Source: Australand. 2001. "A plan for living" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, November 17: 19A (Domain Liftout).

Property Advert of the Week: Chelsea Apartments, Chatswood (1999)

This week, we head to Chatswood. You could buy a studio apartment in the Chelsea Apartment complex for just $183 000 in 1999. 

Source: Multiplex. 1999. "AAA Investment Chatswood" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 5: 10 RE (Real Estate Liftout). 

Property Advert of the Week: The Regency, Chatswood (1998)

This week, our property advert takes us to Chatswood, where an apartment in the heart of Chatswood would set you back just $240 000 in 1998. A 3 bedroom apartment cost just $625 000. The area was undergoing its first major high rise apartment boom. 

 

Source: Walker Corporation. 1998. "Regency Chatswood (Advertisement)." The Northern Herald, March 26: 36.