Five Dock

National property group Traders In Purple has been appointed by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney to lead the urban renewal of St Albans Church at Five Dock.

The future vision for the church site will include a mix of new housing and ground floor amenity to enhance public space and seamless interaction with the adjacent Five Dock Metro Station, currently under construction.

The Sydney Anglican engagement adds to Traders In Purple’s extensive portfolio of partnerships where it has established itself as a trusted partner to Government. It has a significant pipeline of mixed tenure projects with the NSW Land and Housing Corporation valued at over $590 million, and a $300 million mixed use masterplanned community 15 minutes from Hobart, in partnership with Kingborough Council.

Renewal of the Five Dock site will result in a considered mixed-use precinct to include housing, new indoor and outdoor public spaces as well as office and retail uses that will deliver recurrent income to the Diocese.

As part of the site renewal, careful restoration of the heritage listed St Albans Church, whose foundation stone was laid in 1858, will be undertaken as well as adaptive reuse of Ridley Hall for a restaurant, community and commercial uses.

Traders In Purple will now begin church restoration works and commence discussions with Canada Bay Council and the NSW Government on planning approvals for the 4,014 sqm site. It is anticipated the planning proposal will be lodged mid-year.

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Traders In Purple Director George Geagea said the company was looking forward to partnering with the Anglican Diocese to realise a number of benefits for its church community and the broader public.

“We look forward to enhancing St Albans Church and Ridley Hall so that the Five Dock community can continue to enjoy these much-loved local landmarks,” said Geagea.

“Our approach to heritage and expertise in the delivery of mixed tenure housing was an important factor in the Diocesan decision to engage Traders In Purple. We respect and enjoy working with the complexities of heritage properties and have demonstrated our capability in adaptive reuse of many local treasures.

"Together we are seeking to revitalise the heritage buildings to ensure that they continue to play the vital roles in the community’s life that they have for so many decades.”

Traders In Purple was recognised with a 2021 UDIA National Award for Excellence for “The Abbey” in Cronulla, an adaptive reuse of a Uniting Church and Sunday School Hall into luxury residences. Its restoration of the Sisters of Mercy Chapel in Goulburn and the historic Greyleigh homestead in the Kiama hinterland as a luxury boutique accommodation and wedding venue are among the group’s portfolio of heritage passion projects. Its Correa Gardens community housing development won the Urban Taskforce Award for Affordable Residential Development last year.

The Five Dock project is part of the Sydney Anglican Urban Renewal Pilot Program (URPP), the aim of which is to activate church properties across the Sydney Diocese to become vital community hubs.

Geagea said the Five Dock Metro Station adjacent to St Albans presented the ideal opportunity to deliver urgently needed new housing in a well-established inner-west suburb.

“Transport infrastructure is the key to sustainable housing growth,” said Geagea.

“It enables a walkable lifestyle where people are not car dependent and have easy access to shops, schools, restaurants, cafes and open space.

“Sydney’s housing affordability and rental crisis cannot be solved without building more homes to meet the increase in population. Rather than pushing people out to the city fringe, suburbs such as Five Dock are ideally placed to absorb some of this growth, giving young people and families a chance for a home and a fulfilling lifestyle, close to where they work.”

The future vision for the church site will include a mix of new housing and ground floor amenity to enhance public space and seamless interaction with the adjacent Five Dock Metro Station, currently under construction

Joel Robinson

Traders in Purple to lead St Albans Church urban renewal project in Five Dock

The growing housing affordability issues in Sydney has seen young professionals target off the plan apartments, particularly in Sydney&#39;s inner west.

The Five Dock apartment project Catania, developed by Metway Developments, has seen a number of buyers who want live in the waterside suburb.

Stefan Jones at 365 Property has seen downsizers, or rightsizers, buy in to the apartment project of 34, but also young professionals, who have been priced out of the housing market and are now more keen on high end apartments.

&quot;If they [young professionals], want to get in to that Five Dock, Drummonye, Abbotsford area then houses are becoming too expensive,&quot; Jones says.

Catania, which comprises two buildings inspired by classic modernist architecture, was designed by BKA&nbsp;and are crowned by an exclusive rooftop garden and entertainers&rsquo; terrace with views to Hen and Chicken Bay.

There are 22 two bedroom apartments, six one beds and six three bedroom apartments.

One build has 19 apartments across six storeys, the other with 15 across four storeys.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6585 project_image_fid=77473]

Sales&nbsp;kicked off in July last year, and Jones&nbsp;says that, while the market is a bit different to the COVID-19 hit 2020, Five Dock is quite an insular location with not much stock.

&quot;Even during a tough market, Five Dock tends to stand quite well&quot;, Jones says, adding that apartment living has always been popular in the area and hasn&#39;t really faltered or wavered in any way.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6585 project_image_fid=77474]

Jones says the apartment market at the moment is full of discerning buyers wanting quality and size.

&quot;If you&#39;re developing a standard apartment project you&#39;re going to struggle,&quot; Jones says.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6585 project_image_fid=77470]

So far 21 of the 34 apartments have sold.&nbsp;One bedroom apartments start from $779,000, two bedders from $949,000 and the three bedroom penthouses from $1.7 million.

Construction began in September and is slated for completion in December.

The Five Dock apartment project Catania, developed by Metway Developments, has seen a number of buyers who want to get in to the waterside suburb.

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