Oxford Street & Sale of City of Sydney Properties
Overview: Herald Investigation, Oxford Street.
At https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2014/oxford-street/
Top 10 Landlords on Oxford Street (City of Sydney and Wollahra Council areas)
- City of Sydney
- Theo Onisforou
- Greek Orthodox Community of NSW
- Overseas Telecommunications (Telstra exchange)
- Sullivan family, Arts Hotel and Arts Bar
- Lourandos family, four properties in Paddington
- Notaras family, six properties in Paddington
- Gwynvill Group, Tieck family, four properties in Paddington
- Robert Bleakley, Palace Verona
- Justin Hemmes, Paddington Arms and two more properties in Paddington
City of Sydney Properties Recent Purchases
2019: Customs House – “to keep in public hands” [25 years in on a 60 year lease]
City of Sydney Properties Recent Sales
2016: CSC sold T2 building at Taylor Square once talked about for GLBTIQ Museum / Museum of Mardi Gras. Council paid $7 million for the building in 2010 to serve as a bicycle hub..
2019: 56-76 Oxford Street Darlinghurst. Sold to Ashe Morgan, a large real estate investment and advisory group.
Description: 56 to 76 Oxford Street comprises 6 properties from Zinc Tailors to Crown St - an architecturally consistent group of six three-storey brick, Federation freestyle commercial buildings. All heritage items on CSC LEP 2012 – Map sheet HER-15)
2019: 82-106 Oxford St Darlinghurst. Sold to Ashe Morgan.
2019: 110 – 122 Oxford St Darlinghurst. Sold to Ashe Morgan.
2020: Development Application
Submitted by Ashe Morgan and Toga Group (developer) who want: Each of the buildings will range in height from 15-metres (6 storeys) to 24-metres above ground. The site sits between Oxford Square and Taylor Square at 56-76, 82-106, and 110-122 Oxford Street in Darlinghurst. Development plans include 7,600 sqm of commercial floorspace and 1,600sq m of cultural and creative spaces, which Ashe Morgan says is part of its future program for creative start-ups and businesses in the local area, along with 2,300sq m of activated ground plane and laneway retail.
Architect: Richard Francis Jones, Design Director of fjmtstudio. FJM Studio claim: “Our concept is to create a carefully crafted interplay between the beautiful turn of the century heritage buildings and a new dynamic series of glass and metal forms that hover above”.See: https://theurbandeveloper.com/articles/toga-ashe-morgan-lodge-da-for-sydneys-oxford-street and https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/facelift-plans-for-iconic-sydney-shopping-strip-20201019-p566ez and
https://www.buildaustralia.com.au/projects/toga-and-ashemorgan-lodge-da-for-oxford-street-sydney/
Part 2 — Planning
City of Sydney - Strategic Review of Oxford Street
To encourage “clustering of creative spaces” / Planning rules can help support more cultural, creative, entertainment and late-night activities / we have identified Oxford Street as the focal point for a wider creative and cultural precinct in our local strategic planning statement City Plan 2036.
Public Consultation: Project Status: Under review
Contributions to this consultation are closed for evaluation and review. The public consultation was a generic “write a love letter” type. The project team will report back on key outcomes. Public consultation period 6 October 2020 to 3 November 2020
See: https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/strategic-land-use-plans/city-plan-2036
Part 3: Related Sales on Oxford Street
Taylor Square:
Kinselas and the nearby Courthouse Hotel have both been purchased by Moelis Australia Hotel Management, which owns 32 pubs across New South Wales and Brisbane.
The Courthouse was sold for $22 million in November and Kinselas sold for $45 million on December 9. The new owners plan to merge the two Taylor Square venues together, creating a large ‘super pub’ complex with accommodation and rooftop harbour views. See: https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/taylor-square-set-for-revival-after-67m-kinselas-courthouse-pub-sales-20201209-p56m23.html
Academy Twin Cinema:
At the five-way intersection of Oxford Street, Victoria Street and South Dowling Street. DA lodged August 2020.
See: https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/former-academy-twin-cinema-in-paddington-to-be-transformed-into-boutique-hotel-984419/