Council development leads by example

Monday, 25 November 2019

Penrith City Council’s Soper Place development sets the pattern for others to follow, says Penrith Mayor Ross Fowler OAM.

“At Soper Place you will be able to park on site, go to work, have a great meal, chill out in the roof top bar, sit under a tree, play with the kids in the park or even have a game of basketball,” Cr Fowler said.

“Think of it as a building with two characters – the low rise section has space for play, performance, markets and music.

“In the main building, there is commercial space, community meeting space as well as an 11th floor roof top venue with stunning views for dining and entertainment.

“In addition, the 820 car parking spaces – that’s 600 extra spots – means everything is easily accessible.

“The five-star environment rated Soper Place project shows what can happen when a council gets creative and decides to deliver something special and unique,” he said.

“It is an innovative response to the need for parking, extra jobs, recreational facilities and entertainment venues in the Penrith CBD.

“This signature development is also an example of how to create a building that not only looks good, but also maximises its environmental credentials by cleverly using green space and internal engineering.

“Overall, the building is also flexible – work day car parking spaces can become night time and weekend event spaces.

Cr Fowler said the building design was the unanimous choice of a special selection panel that judged a number of entries for a design competition.

“The winning design – by architects Durbach Block Jaggers – not only fulfils Council’s planning goals of creating a liveable, sustainable city but provides an example for future developers to follow.

“We wanted to show that special buildings are possible, and there is no longer any excuse for simple concrete boxes,” Cr Fowler said.

“The plan is that construction starts in the second quarter of next year, with a projected completion in the first quarter of 2022,” said Penrith Council General Manager Warwick Winn.

“It works on so many levels,” Mr Winn said.

“The commercial high rise is visually light in comparison to the arched brick base.

“The small scale of the low-rise base is appropriate to its community uses which are easily accessed off Woodriff Street, Henry Street and High Street.

“The building is located close to the town centre with entries off Lawson and Belmore Streets – making it highly desirable commercial space.

“The bike parking and electric vehicle charging stations are all part of this forward thinking design, plus the roof garden provides natural insulation to assist in cooling our city.”

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Monday, 25 November 2019.