Facelift plans for iconic Sydney shopping strip
Joint venture partners TOGA and AsheMorgan have submitted a DA for a new mixed-use precinct along Oxford Street.

Facelift plans for iconic Sydney shopping strip

A tired segment along one of Sydney’s iconic shopping and party strips, Oxford Street, is one step closer to receiving a major facelift, with developer TOGA Group and Sydney fund manager AsheMorgan this week submitting a development application for a $200 million mixed-use precinct.

Sydney investment house AsheMorgan, which last year bought three low-rise heritage leasehold properties at 56-76, 82-106 and 110-122 Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, between Oxford Square and Taylor Square, has teamed up with TOGA Group in a joint venture to create 7600 square metres of commercial floor space, a 75-room boutique hotel as well as laneway retail.

Another 1600 square metres of cultural and creative spaces will be developed to lure start-ups to the local area. The precinct will be called The Darlinghurst Collection.

The heritage buildings fronting Oxford Street will remain, but the development would include rooftop extensions with high ceilings and views to the CBD and Sydney Harbour.

The DA is expected to go on public exhibition this week.

TOGA said the office spaces would be “heritage inspired”, with open, flexible floorplates, break-out areas and a focus on natural light.

The 75-room boutique hotel will include a rooftop pool and sun deck, with access to ground floor retail.

Architecture firm fjmt studio has been hired to design the precinct.

“Our concept is to create a carefully crafted interplay between the beautiful turn-of-the-century heritage buildings and a new dynamic series of glass and metal forms that hover above,” fjmt studio design director Richard Francis Jones said.

“This composed integration of heritage and advanced architectural form will create sustainable and inspiring places to work, while reinvigorating the street life of Oxford Street and the authenticity of its laneways,” he added.

Fabrizio Perilli, chief executive of TOGA, said they were also working with the City of Sydney and the site’s neighbours to enhance the vibrancy of the broader area, including the activation of a nearby laneway at Foley Street.

“Our vision for the site is to create a diverse and uniquely Darlinghurst precinct that reflects the values of the local community and the significant heritage of the area.” Mr Perilli said.

He said the additions to the area would ensure the precinct was thriving both day and night.

“The development will contribute to the local economy, through a new commercial ecosystem that will integrate creative and cultural start-ups, bringing jobs and businesses to the area,” Mr Perilli said.

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