PROPERTY SHOWCASE WESTERN SYDNEY
Published in Western Sydney Business Access | Parramatta Times | Blacktown News | www.westernpropertyguide.com.au
Parramatta Mission announces winning design for The Gathering ARRAMATTA Mission, in conjunction with City of Parramatta Council, has successfully completed an architectural design excellence competition for its central site at Parramatta Square, adjacent to the historic Leigh Memorial Church. The winning design for the new centre, to be called The Gathering Place, will create an iconic building on Parramatta Square, a city site that was a special meeting place for the traditional owners, the Burramattagal people of the Darug nation. It is a site where there has been a Christian church for 200 years. In contrast to the surrounding high-rise glass towers, the innovative design will present a soft silhouette, reminiscent of a banksia pod, and will include a rooftop chapel and reflective garden. The winning design will be complemented by the rebuilding of the spire on Leigh Memorial Church. “For Parramatta Mission, a Parish Mission of the Uniting Church, The Gathering Place reflects a commitment to serving the Parramatta community. It will house Parramatta Mission’s staff, be a centre for its social services and a place of meeting,” Parramatta Mission board and Church Council member, Mr Ian Gray, said. “Through the life and witness of its congregations and through its delivery of social services, Parramatta Mission is seeking to redevelop this site to be a source of inspiration in the life of Sydney’s ‘central city’. The Gathering Place will be accessed by people from all walks of life.” The winning design for the new centre was submitted by architects Durbach Block Jaggers. In a statement DJB said: “The Gathering Place building is a friendly and familiar form. Its gentle connection to the Leigh Memorial Church preserves both light and visibility. The circular geometry of the new welcomes all, complementing the inward nature of the existing church.”
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It’s a remarkable design City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Steven Issa has congratulated Parramatta Mission and Durbach Block Jaggers on the building. “The Gathering Place is a remarkable design and will be a wonderful addition to
The winning design.
Parramatta’s Civic Link – a green, pedestrianised pathway that will connect the heart of the Parramatta CBD to the river.” The design recognises the importance of this site to the traditional owners. The area around Parramatta Square is of great significance with evidence of Aboriginal settlement dating back more than 60,000 years. Parramatta was established within a year of European arrival and the vicinity of this site was where significant early interaction took place between Aboriginal peoples and civic administrators. The Leigh Memorial Church building
is the third church to operate on this site since 1821. The campus has been a focus of Christian worship and the provision of community assistance for 200 years. Mr Gray said further detailed design work may be required and it is intended to proceed directly to prepare a Development Application once the design is finalised. The DA will be based on the winning design and use the winning architect. “The Uniting Church is working in partnership with City of Parramatta Council in order to reach an agreed position that recognises the loss of development poten-
tial of the site. Construction of this iconic community building can then commence as soon as possible,” he said.
About Parramatta Mission Parramatta Mission is a group of worshipping congregations of the Uniting Church. Paramatta Mission presently operates Meals Plus from the Parramatta Square site, a place where its clients, who may be disadvantaged in many ways, are treated holistically, with dignity and respect, and can obtain services to meet their daily needs for sustenance and community.
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CELEBRATE Sydney Hills Local business awards feature: 16
POLITICS Why new State leadership is good for the West: 2
What it might look like to have flying cars over Parramatta CBD.
MANUFACTURING Local firm’s game changing deal with ASIA: 46
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%ඔඉඋඓගඟN COVID Guide to vaccination centre across Blacktown: 19
COMMUNITY NITY rren Vale Warren Hardy, ity community warrior: 14 Special free event for you and your business: 13
PROJECT$ INSIDE
COVID LESSONS K
EEP saying that the risk of getting a side effect to AstraZeneca “ is one person sitting in a full SCG, and the risk of dying from it is one in a million - the equivalent to a lightning strike.” Vivid stats voiced by infectious disease expert Professor Tony Cunningham as he took part in a Regional Roundtable webinar of internationally
renowned experts held recently by a collaboration of Access News Australia and The Westmead Institute for Medical Research. The panel, who hail from a range of disciplines, spoke about their take on the lessons learned from COVID, and their prognosis of future trends in a post-pandemic world. See pages 4,5.
CARS OVER CBD
Cash boost for local precincts
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IGH growth greenfield precincts in Blacktown will benefit from a share of $139M being handed out by the State Govt this year. The cash is up for grabs for eight Western Sydney councils as applications have opened for round two of the Accelerated Infrastructure Funding (AIF). More page 4.
Key to business relationships: 7
C
AN you imagine cars flying above the Parramatta CBD? Parramatta Chamber of Commerce president Luke Magee can certainly see it as a possibility after the Parramatta Times discussed a report from University of NSW suggesting the concept was not far away. “I hope it can be something we can look forward to in the future. It would be good for Parramatta, with its lack of parking,” Mr Magee said. “These flying cars could work like the proposed driverless cars where you park them outside the city and they come to pick you up." More page ͢2.
From top left clockwise: Grange Avenue, Loftus St and Glengarrie Rd all projects for possible development under the AIF program.
Bankwest becomes CommBank Stadium: 13
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