Oxford Street Heritage Row Redevelopment Plan Filed

A row of heritage buildings on Surry Hills’ iconic Oxford Street has been earmarked for a mixed-use development. 

The application submitted to the City of Sydney Council seeks partial demolition of two of the structures on the sites, which are being amalgamated under the plans. 

If approved, the plans include a four-storey commercial building to provide retail and office floorspace, as well as the excavation and construction of three basement levels for entertainment and event spaces.

Commercial property owner Anne Melkman is associated with the development, which has a capital investment value of $24.7 million, through Nechi Holdings Pty Ltd. 

The 1531sq m site, which comprises four buildings—21 Oxford Street, 23-29 Oxford Street, 31-33 Oxford Street and 35 Oxford Street—is owned by Nechi. 

If the council agrees to its proposals, two levels of the basement floor will be allocated to a bar and event spaces, and the third basement level would serve as a retail outlet. 

The ground floor will contain a further three retail occupancies, the three floors above will house commercial tenants, and a rooftop terrace on the top floor. 

It is within the Oxford Street Heritage Conservation Area, “one of the oldest and most important commercial streets in Sydney”. 

Two of the buildings, at 21 Oxford Street and 31-33 Oxford Street, are locally listed heritage buildings. 

The former was built in 1911 and was occupied the ANZ bank. It was listed as a heritage item under the Sydney Local Environment Plan in 2012. 

▲ A host of design-forward projects have been launched in the Oxford Street Heritage Conservation Area in the past year.

Since 2016 it has been in use as a series of smaller offices, with the ground floor currently occupied by Alex Greenwich MP. 

It will be retained and preserved as part of the latest development application.

Meanwhile, 23-29 Oxford Street contains a two-storey building constructed as a commercial premises in 1913, but the historical significance of the site relates to the façade only, as nothing original remains internally.

Its  façade, along with 31-33 Oxford Street and the existing laneway, will be retained, while number 35 will be demolished. 

▲ The row of buildings on Oxford Street subject to the development application. Source: NearMap

While heritage elements to a build can prove challenging, developers have not shied away from investing in the conservation area. 

Plans for a boutique art hotel for Sydney’s Oxford Street were released last year by Save The Robots, an entity linked to local property investor Ping Jin Ng. 

Meanwhile, developer Toohey Miller also launched proposals for a ‘modern art deco’ seven-storey residential build in the heritage area.