City of Sydney supports development of two new tallest buildings

City of Sydney councillors have unanimously voted in support of the development of two new towers in central Sydney, set to become the tallest in the city.

In a council committee meeting on 22 July, property developer Lendlease presented plans for a precinct covering a 6,737 square metre area across 1-25 O'Connell Street and 8-16 Spring Street. The O'Connell precinct features a 309-metre-tall, 72-storey commercial and retail tower. The proposed building will also match the height of the spire tip of the Tower Eye, Sydney's tallest structure.

The planned O'Connell Street Precinct site contains six existing office and retail buildings, including a building known as 1 O'Connell Street and three heritage-listed buildings: the former Rofe Chambers, the former Orient building and the former Chatsworth House. The proposed project would retain the 1 O'Connell Street building and the facades of the Orient building and Chatsworth House. It will also preserve and adaptively reuse the former Rofe Chambers.

An indicative design for the precinct has been completed by Matthew Pullinger Architect and Stewart Architecture, however, final designs will be subject to a design competition. These indicative plans include a shared logistics hub with loading dock spaces and a through-site link to improve pedestrian access between O'Connell and Spring streets.

During the meeting, a second proposal regarding the development of a 3,288 square metre area spanning 56-60 Pitt Street to 3 Spring Street was also supported by council. This proposal, filed by property developer Dexus, included a 310-metre-tall, 70-storey commercial and retail tower, a new public plaza, a retail activated through-site link connecting Pitt Street to Spring and Gresham streets and a shared logistics hub with a loading dock and car parking. The plaza will be dedicated to public use with plantings and artworks to be integrated throughout the space.

An indicative design for the Pitt Street development has been completed by FJC Studio, with final designs also subject to a design competition.

Both proposals will target a 6-star green star rating and net-zero targets.

During the meeting, City of Sydney director of city planning, development and transport Graham Jahn emphasised that both proposals align with population growth, job demand and sustainability targets. "We need to be able to deliver on future workplaces that meet sustainability targets," Jahn said.