Alton Plots Multi-Tower Precinct at Castle Hill

Plans for a multi-tower project in Sydney’s Castle Hill suburb have gone on display. 

The proposal for 93-107 Cecil Avenue and 9-10 Roger Avenue comprises a quartet of stepped buildings of five to 25 storeys. 

They would house 615 apartments, of which 15 per cent—169 units—have been allocated as affordable housing to be managed by a community housing provider for a minimum of 15 years.

Alton Property Group is the developer on the project for private lender Gemi Investments, which has previously been exposed to commercial real estate projects. 

Alton said in the development application that Gemi was “taking up the NSW Government incentivisation for the delivery of affordable housing in a manner that minimises impact to surrounding properties”.

The 17,623sq m project site in the Hills Shire local government authority area is 650m from the Castle Hill Metro Station and within walking distance of Castle Mall and Castle Towers shopping centres.

The estimated development cost for the project is $419.3 million. 

▲ A rendering of the Castle Hill project designed by A+ Design Group.

Stage 1 would deliver Building A on the eastern edge of the site, a five-storey block with nine apartments, and Building B, a 12-to-20-storey tower east of a through-site link and comprising 255 apartments. 

The second stage would deliver a 13-to-25-storey tower of 340 apartments, and the remaining units will be delivered in a six-storey building as part of Stage 3. 

The through-site link would be publicly accessible with lower plazas separating Buildings A and B. The proposal has a collective 6926sq m of private common open space and 1100sq m of internal common rooms. 

Overall there is 8025sq m of non-residential uses on the ground floor, upper ground, and the first and second levels. 

▲ The precinct proposed for Cecil and Roger avenues.

Retail and office premises are part of the plan, and the development would also have two basement levels for more than 900 carparking spaces.

The project has been in the works for several years—a planning proposal was gazetted in 2020 to facilitate a mixed-use, multi-storey development with rezoning from medium density to general residential and mixed use. 

The rezoning also removed maximum building heights on the site. 

Alton’s development application emphasised its Connecting with Country Strategy developed by Everick Heritage with Dharug artist Leanne Redpath to reflect on Country, influencing the design with a focus on the ground plane of the development.

The project is on exhibition via the State Significant Development pathway until the end of April.

The historic Castle Hill suburb has attracted significant high-density development in recent years, with Aland taking on a former Toplace site opposite Castle Towers shopping centre to finish building nearly 1000 apartments on the site, while a 19-storey hotel and residential complex is also in the works.