North Sydney’s Mandarin Centre Revamp Moves Ahead

The Mandarin Centre’s slow-burn transformation has taken another step as fresh plans are filed for the Chatswood mall built in the 1990s. Metis Group, on behalf of site owners Capitel Group, has submitted State Significant plans to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for 61-65 Albert Avenue. A decade in the making, the proposals outline 325 apartments across 32 storeys with a four-level retail podium of about 9250sq m gross floor area. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM)—the architects behind New York’s One World Trade Centre and the tallest building in the world, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa—the project proposes 5 per cent of the homes be allocated as affordable. The plans are a slight downsize from the initial proposal revealed when project managers Metis Group last year requested Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements. Under those plans, 46 storeys were proposed , but Metis director Arian Galanis told The Urban Developer that the refinement to 32 storeys reflected “design evolution following community consultation and thorough state-led design excellence process”. “The revised height delivers stronger architectural proportions, improved amenity outcomes and a more balanced response to the surrounding context while remaining commercially viable and deliverable,” he said. Mandarin Centre revamp The transit-oriented development on a site180m from the Chatswood rail station and 11km north of the Sydney CBD was declared State Significant by the NSW Housing Delivery Authority last year, fast-tracking it through the state-level pathway. However, the plans have gone through multiple iterations over the years from a 2020 approval for 22-storeys of office plus a residential component. The significant commercial floor space requirements of that plan limited its viability, particularly given the relatively low ongoing demand for new commercial office space within Chatswood CBD, according to Galanis. “This proposal rebalances the site’s contribution to employment through a revitalised retail podium while focusing primarily on delivering much-needed housing,” he said. ▲ A rendering of the four-level podium of the Mandarin Centre redevelopment project by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. “The tower has also been extensively designed with constructability in mind from day one, ensuring the scheme is not only approvable under the current planning framework but genuinely deliverable.” The residential mix includes one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments. “It’s designed primarily for local owner-occupiers, downsizers and professionals seeking high-quality, well-located housing close to transport, retail and employment,” Galanis said. “It also accommodates first-home buyers with more affordable entry product and families through larger apartment formats, while the inclusion of permanent affordable housing ensures greater diversity within the community.” ▲ A rendering of the redevelopment overlooking the Chatswood Oval. The plans include wellness and fitness spaces, co-working areas, private dining and entertainment rooms, concierge services, a porte cochère drop-off, and rooftop gardens with recreation and outdoor fitness areas. SOM design partner Scott Duncan said the team saw the opportunity to enhance how an established site interconnects with the Chatswood CBD. “The design reimagines the ground plane as a more open and connected part of the district, improving access to surrounding streets, transit, and a renewed retail precinct via a porous, human-scaled podium,” Duncan said. Chatswood planning environment Metis, which is also working on the $1 billion mixed-use redevelopment of the InterContinental Hotel Sydney Double Bay alongside Capitel Group and the $900 million Fig &amp; Wattle Street mixed-use project at Pyrmont , was drafted in by Capitel on the project in 2025. The “underutilised” Mandarin Centre redevelopment aims to “strengthen Chatswood’s role as a major residential and commercial centre” according to Galanis. “The retail podium is centred on a curated mix of food and beverage, health and wellbeing, lifestyle and convenience retail that supports the daily needs of future residents as well as Chatswood’s broader worker and residential community,” he said. ▲ The four-level podium of retail below the residential component of the project was initially proposed as office space. “The vision is to create a highly activated, contemporary retail environment that complements, rather than competes with Chatswood’s existing offer, while strengthening street life and contributing to a more vibrant, pedestrian-friendly CBD.” And the changes to the NSW planning environment have supported the project’s development, Galanis said. “The Housing SEPP amendments provided greater clarity around density and housing delivery near major transport infrastructure, improving planning certainty and feasibility,” he said. “This enabled a scheme that appropriately utilises the site’s proximity to rail and metro while incorporating permanent affordable housing.” Subject to approval, construction is expected to start by the second quarter of 2027.

North Sydney’s Mandarin Centre Revamp Moves Ahead

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