The eight-year vision comes to life: Inside Surry Hills Village
The creation of Surry Hills Village, the new mixed-use residential and retail precinct at the end of Crown Street, has been an eight-year journey for developer TOGA.
The recently completed building, rising on the border of two of Sydney's most popular and trendy suburbs, replaced the former shopping centre that was locally referred to as "murder mall".
Gone is the graffiti and upside down shopping trolleys, and in its place stands one of the newest developments Surry Hills has seen in decades.
I recently caught up with TOGA's Executive General Manager of Sales, Anthony Falas, to talk about the development.
"Our vision was to bring something new and fresh to the area," Falas said, something which TOGA has certainly delivered on.
Surry Hills Village, a striking building by architecture firm SJB, comprises a mix of 122 apartments and The Eve Hotel Sydney hotel that will open its doors in late 2024.
While being located in arguably the most convenient spot in Surry Hills given Crown Street's status as the go-to street in Sydney for hospitality, TOGA has also created Wunderlich Lane, a retail and hospitality precinct that is home to a series of hand-picked retailers, restaurants, and food purveyors which will create a vibrant local destination for the new residents and the broader community.
Most of the venues in Wunderlich Lane are approaching completion and will be welcoming patrons in December, with the rest of the precinct completing in early 2025. Wunderlich Lane will be home to 25 restaurants and all-day dining, bars, beauty, wellness, boutique retail by some of the city’s best operators, event spaces, fresh food village-style market, and creative office spaces.
Coles, Vintage Cellars, Harris Farm, QMan Barber, Blooms The Chemist and Beyond Eyecare have now opened, and they will soon be joined by Lumi Dining Group, House Made Hospitality and Olympus Dining (by the Apollo Group).
The understanding of the opportunity from locals in particular resulted in the majority of buyers coming from a three-kilometre radius of the development. There have however been purchases from downsizers from the suburbs who wanted to come in and live the vibrant Surry Hills/Redfern lifestyle.
TOGA purposefully created large apartments, knowing the majority of buyers would be owner-occupiers. The two-bedroom apartments, of which a handful remain, average around 85 sqm.
There are just 17 two and three-bedroom apartments and townhouses remaining, including the last remaining penthouse which was designed by SJB Director Adam Haddow who was influenced by his own penthouse apartment in Redfern.
TOGA, an integrated developer with a track record dating back to the early 1960s, built Surry Hills Village through its in-house construction arm.
