FAQs

Landcom is planning to transform the former Sydney Metro construction site at 607 Pacific Highway, Chatswood, into a vibrant, well-designed neighbourhood with high quality apartments, rental housing for essential workers, shops and public spaces.

The development could support up to 1,500 apartments in a range of sizes and styles, helping to improve choice for renters and buyers.

Located in the Chatswood CBD, future residents will be close to public transport, restaurants, shops, services, schools and health facilities, including Royal North Shore Hospital - one of Sydney’s largest hospitals.

Our vision is to create a connected, sustainable and inclusive community with:

• 180 build-to-rent apartments offered to essential workers like nurses, paramedics, teachers, police officers and firefighters at a discount to market rent, through a separate subsidy
• up to 1,300 apartments with a mix of affordable rental housing and homes to buy
• shops and services
• outdoor spaces for people to meet, relax and socialise, including a central park, lush native greenery, shaded seating areas and public art
• future community use of heritage-listed Mowbray House
• walking and cycling connections to the wider area.

The project is supported by the NSW Government’s $450 million investment into Landcom to deliver more than 400 build-to-rent homes for essential workers in metropolitan Sydney, closer to their jobs and services. 

The NSW Government is committed to tackling the housing crisis head-on to meet Sydney’s urgent housing needs.

As part of this effort, Landcom is planning to repurpose surplus government land in Chatswood to deliver a significant number of well-located homes near transport, jobs and services, and fund new high-quality public open spaces and restoration of Mowbray House for community use.

The proposal aligns with long-term plans for major transformation in the Chatswood CBD and demonstrates how government land can be used for public good.

We aim to showcase design excellence and high quality public domain in keeping with long-term plans for the Chatswood CBD's transformation.

Proposed development will contribute to Chatswood's amenity and vibrancy with shops and services, outdoor spaces including a central park, walking and cycling links to the wider area, and future community use of heritage-listed Mowbray House.

Buildings will be set around publicly accessible green and open spaces. Landscaping will feature native plants to support urban biodiversity and increase tree canopy cover to provide shade and cool the air.

The proposal includes shops alongside public spaces and paths to invite people into the area. While the actual shops are yet to be confirmed, it is envisaged that spaces would be suitable for food and beverage, convenience and other specialty retailers, complementing shops and services nearby.

The retail strategy will consider the most suitable retail options, in the context of local needs and community preferences.

Local heritage building Mowbray House operated as a boarding school from 1906 to 1954. The building will be restored and repurposed for community use, with potential for a ground-floor café facing the central park and opportunity to highlight the building’s local history. 

Landcom will consult Willoughby City Council, local community heritage groups and interested parties about future uses for the building. 

Build-to-rent housing is designed and built to provide high quality long-term rental homes. Build-to-rent increases the diversity of rental supply and provides an alternative to home ownership.

Benefits of longer leases for tenants include:

• more stable, consistent rental conditions
• greater rental security than the 12-month “leasing cycle”, which can leave them looking for a new home every year
• greater financial security, with annual rent increases often locked in upfront so tenants know their rents will not escalate rapidly or unexpectedly
• potential freedom to paint walls and hang pictures to make their rental feel more like home
• ability to settle down in their neighbourhood, make new friends and build a sense of community.

As part of the Chatswood development, 180 build-to-rent apartments will be offered to essential workers at a discount to market rent, through a separate subsidy.

The NSW Government will retain ownership of the build-to-rent properties, which will be managed by a suitable operator.

Homes NSW is supporting Landcom to develop an operational model and determine processes for tenant allocation and rental subsidies. This work will firm up essential worker ‘eligibility’. Further information will be made available closer to project completion.

Essential workers like nurses, paramedics, teachers, police officers and firefighters provide invaluable services to people across NSW. Without them, NSW would grind to a halt, but many are being priced out of the market and can’t afford to live near their jobs.

Through a $450 million investment from the NSW Government, Landcom will deliver 400 build-to-rent homes for essential workers to rent at a discount to market rent in Sydney, closer to their jobs and services.

This is the second site of the program, providing 180 homes. The other site Landcom is developing is a vacant site at Annandale, which will provide 220 homes. 

As a NSW Government owned development organisation, Landcom is well suited to coordinate planning, approvals and construction of these projects.

Essential workers include professions like nurses, paramedics, teachers, police officers and firefighters.

Homes NSW is supporting Landcom to develop an operational model and determine processes for tenant allocation and rental subsidies. This work will firm up essential worker ‘eligibility’. Further information will be made available closer to project completion.

A percentage of affordable housing will be allocated as determined by the feasibility of the masterplan, with delivery subject to approvals and financing.  Landcom is delivering 180 essential worker build-to-rent homes which will be made available via subsidy at a discount to market rent, contributing to an affordable offering within the broader development. 

While Landcom does not deliver social housing and there are no plans for social housing at the site, the NSW Government is investing $6.6 billion from the 2024–25 NSW Budget into the delivery and maintenance of social housing, and boosting homelessness support services. It is the largest ever investment into social housing in the state’s history, with Homes NSW leading this important work.

The former Sydney Metro construction site in Chatswood was identified as part of the NSW Government's audit of surplus land for housing.

We are optimising vacant land in the Chatswood CBD that’s well connected to public transport, jobs and infrastructure to respond to the housing crisis and fund new high-quality public open spaces and restoration of Mowbray House for community use.

We are working with technical specialists to understand site opportunities and constraints to support our planning for the site’s rezoning and well-designed development. Technical studies cover local traffic and transport, urban design, landscape design, civil engineering, heritage and environmental assessments.

We are consulting Willoughby City Council and other government agencies to minimise impacts of the proposed development on the neighbourhood, and will also consult neighbours, the local community and future beneficiaries of the proposal, like essential workers.

The site is in the Chatswood CBD and is zoned mixed-use, with height limits of 53m (approximately 18 storeys).​

To support the NSW Government’s efforts to tackle the housing crisis, we are planning to rezone the site to enable buildings from 25 to 56 storeys (up to 180m). 

Demonstrating how surplus government land can be used for public good, we are optimising the well-located site to deliver a significant number of much-needed homes near transport, jobs and services, and fund new high-quality public open spaces and restoration of Mowbray House for community use.

Proposed setbacks, landscaped public spaces and pedestrian laneways between buildings will help to reduce overshadowing, while providing future residents adequate privacy and sunlight.​ ​

The proposal aligns with long-term plans for major transformation in the Chatswood CBD and is in keeping with taller buildings and future potential developments in the area. 

Many households in the Chatswood area don’t own a car or have only one car, with more people walking, cycling or using public transport for their commute than elsewhere in Sydney. This is especially common for households living in apartments, which tend to have fewer people.

Initial assessments show that local roads will have capacity for traffic generated by the proposed development. As the site is well-located, future residents are likely to rely less on cars as they can walk, cycle and use public transport to reach work, nearby shops and services.

The build-to-rent building will include secure underground parking, bicycle spaces and future provisions for electric vehicle charging, with two car share spaces located outside the building. The number of parking spaces will be confirmed as planning progresses. 

We are consulting Willoughby City Council and other government agencies including Transport for NSW to minimise impacts of the proposed development on the neighbourhood, and will also consult neighbours, the local community and future beneficiaries of the proposal, like essential workers.

We are optimising vacant land in the Chatswood CBD that’s well connected to public transport, jobs and infrastructure to respond to the housing crisis and fund new high-quality public open spaces and restoration of Mowbray House for community use.

The proposal aligns with the character of the Chatswood CBD and long-term plans for its transformation. 

Proposed setbacks and landscaped public spaces will separate buildings and help to reduce overshadowing, while providing future residents with adequate privacy and sunlight.

We are consulting Willoughby City Council and other government agencies including Heritage NSW to minimise impacts of the proposed development on the neighbourhood and nearby heritage buildings. 

We recognise our projects fundamentally transform Country forever and we can deliver our projects in a respectful and considerate way to celebrate the uniqueness of each place.

The site is on Gamaragal land. We are consulting with local First Nations stakeholders to inform design principles to guide project design and development.

Sustainability measures for the project include:

• Building setbacks and public spaces that support an increase in tree canopy cover, helping to provide shade and cool the air.
• Landscaped public and private spaces featuring native plants, supporting urban biodiversity.
• Buildings oriented to maximise solar access and cross ventilation, reducing reliance on air conditioning.
• Water sensitive urban design principles, including rainwater collection for use in landscaping.
• Façades, roof treatments, materials and colours that reflect local character and are less likely to attract heat.

Demonstrating our commitment to delivering sustainable and resilient places for future generations​, we are targeting two Green Star ratings through the Green Buildings Council of Australia: 

• 5 star communities rating for the new neighbourhood, focused on creating a healthier, more liveable and future-ready neighbourhood
• 4 star buildings rating for the build-to-rent apartment building, with the design enabling energy efficiency, use of renewables, improved indoor air quality and reduced upfront carbon emissions.

​In late 2024 the NSW Department of Education completed an analysis of student enrolment trends and determined that the project for a new primary school in Chatswood is no longer required at this time.

For information about school infrastructure planning and delivery, visit schoolinfrastructure.nsw.gov.au or contact School Infrastructure NSW: 

Email: schoolinfrastructure@det.nsw.edu.au 

Phone: 1300 482 651

Planning

Landcom is inviting feedback on the proposal from the community and stakeholders until 9am on Monday 27 October 2025. 

We aim to submit applications to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure in late 2025 for approval of the concept masterplan and site rezoning, and to deliver the build-to-rent units for essential workers.

The Department will exhibit the applications, allowing the public to view the plans and submit feedback to inform their assessment.

Following detailed planning and design, in future we will submit separate applications for approval to deliver infrastructure and amenities across the site, including the streets, services, open space, and remediating and repurposing Mowbray House.

Construction

Pending approvals, construction of the streets, services and open space is expected to start late 2026. The build-to-rent apartment construction is expected to start in early 2027, with the first essential workers expected to move in by late 2028. 

Other homes

Once the site is rezoned, we will either sell other development parcels or partner with another developer/builder to deliver the residential buildings. Separate development applications will need to be submitted for approval before any construction can begin. 

We are consulting Willoughby City Council and other government agencies to explore ways to minimise impacts of the proposed development on the neighbourhood, and are inviting feedback until 9am on Monday 27 October 2025 from neighbours, the local community and future beneficiaries of the proposal, like essential workers.

We will carefully consider feedback alongside planning requirements such as site constraints, housing and sustainability targets, and project feasibility, to finalise our plans. 

A summary of feedback will be documented in the Engagement Outcomes Report submitted with our applications to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure in late 2025. 

The Department will exhibit the applications, allowing the public to view the plans and submit feedback to inform their assessment.

Pending approvals, construction of the streets, services and open space is expected to start late 2026. The build-to-rent apartment construction is expected to start in early 2027, with the first essential workers expected to move in by late 2028.

We will work with contractors to minimise construction impacts and will keep neighbours informed with timely updates. The construction approach will be determined when plans have been finalised.

Separate development applications will need to be submitted for approval before construction can begin on other buildings.