Western Sydney homestead comes with licence to wrangle toddlers
A rare Victorian-era homestead in Sydney’s north-west, approved for a 60-place childcare centre, has been listed with a price guide of low-to-mid-$4 million, offering investors the chance to reposition one of the district’s few remaining 19th-century buildings.
The 1850s property at 174 Glenwood Park Drive in Glenwood sits on 2396 square metres between Blacktown and the Hills District, less than 50 kilometres from the CBD.
The two-storey heritage building, known as Glenwood House or Glenwood Park House, features a front verandah with iron lacework and is described in heritage assessments as “a rare landmark example of a large two-storey Victorian homestead, originally the centre of one of the small farms which occupied most of the district.”
In 1888, the homestead was owned by fruit grower James Cocks, who used the land for orchards. “He was responsible for building the current homestead, but called it Sorrento. After 1941, the property was renamed Glenwood Park by Alfred Von Sanden. He ran horses on the land, including racehorses,” according to the City of Blacktown Council.
Listing agent Jai Sethi, managing director at Forte CRE, says its history and land size set it apart in the family-oriented suburb. “This is something somebody can reuse and have a piece of the history … there are only one or two remaining in Blacktown council,” he says.
The vendor has held the property for about five years and secured development approval after a tedious, drawn-out process. Designed with input from architecture firm Gardner Wetherill Associates, the DA allows the homestead to be adapted as a childcare centre with alterations to the building and car park.
“With heritage, it’s just not easy,” Sethi says, adding that the approval simplifies the next steps for incoming buyers. “The main work has been done if somebody wants to run a childcare centre, if not, they can go for something else.”
Alternative uses permitted under current planning controls include a community hall, boutique hotel, bed and breakfast or medical centre. Larger land parcels are scarce, he says. “Having a big piece of land in western Sydney is hard to find.”
The property, within walking distance of Caddies Creek Public School and Parklea Public School, is vacant and has a rental potential of about $372,000 net per year for childcare use, subject to lease terms.
Early campaign activity has been positive after launching earlier this week, with the vendor very motivated to sell. “It’s a good one,” Sethi adds.
The property is for sale via an expressions-of-interest campaign closing at 1pm on Wednesday, December 17.
