Scentre Group’s $670m Taller Tower Approved

Scentre Group's bid to increase the height of a proposed office tower at Westfield Parramatta to 47 storeys, which will make it the third tallest building in the area, has been approved by the NSW government.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes approved the $670-million project and 22-storey addition to the building, which he said would boost construction jobs in Sydney’s second CBD and add a further 105,000sq m of commercial space.

“Parramatta’s status as Sydney’s second CBD will be further enhanced by this development,” Stokes said.

“It will bring jobs to Sydney’s west and capitalise on city-shaping projects like Parramatta Light Rail and Sydney Metro West.

“[This development] will add to the exciting mix of developments that are reshaping Parramatta’s skyline, such as those in Parramatta Square.”

Stokes said the NSW government had approved 19 State Significant Developments in the Parramatta LGA in the past 12 months.

Scentre Group will commence a design competition for the tower, and detailed public domain street designs would be finalised after a development application was submitted.

A Scentre Group spokesman said the shopping centre already catered to more than a million people annually, and the Parramatta tower would benefit from its proximity to major rail and bus connections.

He said the group’s vision was to attract new business and more visitors to the precinct from beyond the local area, boosting the Parramatta economy.

Scentre Group, in conjunction with Cbus Property, is developing a mixed-use retail, residential and office tower at 111 & 121 Castlereagh Street in Sydney, with completion due in 2023, while a $55-million entertaining precinct development at Westfield Mt Druitt was due to open in the first quarter of 2022.