The old Kibbleplex building in the heart of Gosford will be transformed into a $345.4M five tower residential and retail development within 10 years if the Lederer Group is successful with its latest Development Application, lodged with the State Planning Department for consideration as a State Significant Development.
The Lederer Group has developed a masterplan for the site, which would be developed in six stages, with the DA for the first stage, which involves site and vegetation clearing at a cost of $3.6M, on exhibition until November 7.
The plan is a revisited and slim-lined version of Lederer’s initial 2016 Gosford Alive project, which involved redevelopment of the Kibbleplex site and the Imperial Centre and was withdrawn in March 2018, with planning restrictions for the CBD in a state of flux.
In October 2018, planning for the site recommenced, with the core project team of Lederer (proponent), Buchan Group (architect) and Mecone (planning) considering a range of options for the Kibbleplex site.
The preferred option would see five residential towers housing more than 700 apartments sited above and behind layered retail podiums fronting Kibble Park, providing a gradual transition from the park to the ridgeline behind Albany St North.
The towers would range from 20-30 storeys and would be topped by elevated gardens. DAs for the construction of the towers themselves will be lodged in increments following clearing of the site. Documentation lodged with the DA estimates that the project will provide 500 direct and indirect jobs.
Basement and above-ground carparks would provide around 1,014 parking spaces with access points in William St, Donnison St and Albany St North. The masterplan says the project aims to: support the growth of the Gosford CBD; help meet the region’s projected housing demand of 41,500 additional dwellings by 2036; and help create a more attractive and safer city centre.
Great care has been taken to prevent overshadowing of Kibble Park in the design process, with at least 60 per cent of the park to receive four hours of direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm on the winter solstice.
Source: NSW Department of Planning website, Oct 15, 2019