Developers to vie for historic Canberra Brickworks site with ideas as well as dollars
The Canberra Brickworks site is going to market 40 years after its closure, giving developers the opportunity to capitalise on a unique architectural canvas in one of the city’s most exclusive suburbs.
But there’s a catch. Developers need to compete for the Yarralumla site not just with their pockets, but their ideas.
The old brickworks site at Yarralumla. Photo: Graham Tidy
The ACT government is calling for a historically sensitive mixed-use redevelopment in the vein of Sydney’s Carriageworks or Perth’s Midlands Railway Workshops for the 16-hectare site, one of the first major construction projects in Canberra.
According to selling agents CBRE, there is the potential to develop up to 380 residential buildings on the site, along with mixed commercial development such as hotels, retail shops, restaurants, and health and recreational facilities.
Opened in 1913, the Brickworks produced the bricks used in many of the city’s earliest construction projects, including in buildings such as the Hyatt Hotel and Old Parliament House – the scale of which was enough to spawn Canberra’s first rudimentary rail network.
The site was a crucial component of Canberra’s 1950s building boom, but has been unoccupied since it was decommissioned in 1976 when the rise of new building methods and materials rendered it obsolete.
Canberra Brickworks opened in 1913 and was decommissioned in 1976. Photo: Supplied
CBRE has been appointed by the Land Development Agency (LDA) to conduct the sale campaign for the site, with agents Andrew Stewart and Mark Nicholls to head the campaign.
Mr Stewart put a value upwards of $500 million on the residential section of the land alone, but the site won’t be sold purely on monetary value.
Any future developer needs to highlight their vision for the massive landholding – one of the few remaining infill sites this close to the city – and its historic buildings.
“The ACT government is seeking developers who understand the opportunity juxtaposed with the significance and history of the site, with the vision being to repurpose this highly valued landholding and create a vibrant new community,” Mr Stewart said
A two-stage process will determine the best possible outcome for the site and the future developer, according to CBRE.
The first stage will invite submissions through a request for proposal. The second stage will shortlist successful respondents and invite them to participate in a request-for-tender process.
Inside the Canberra Brickworks kiln. Photo: Supplied
Mr Nicholls said the LDA was seeking redevelopment proposals in a similar style to the Sydney Carriageworks, Melbourne’s Yorkshire Brewery and Perth’s Midland Railway Workshops.
“The Brickworks site has similar potential, providing an opportunity to develop a precinct offering innovative and dynamic architecture, quality commercial spaces as well as low to medium density residences,” Mr Nicholls said.
The Sydney Carriageworks was developed on the site of the Eveleigh Railway Yards, where carriages were built for Sydney’s rail network until its closure in 1988.
The rail yard buildings were transformed in the 2000s into a cultural centre, hosting alternative arts events and exhibitions.
The Midland Railway Workshops redevelopment is under way in Perth, steered by the WA government’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority.
Midland Railway Workshops in Perth. Photo: Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority
A farmers’ market at Sydney Carriageworks. Photo: Supplied
The project is set to deliver a mixture of residential dwellings and commercial tenancies centred on the restored workshop buildings, and forms part of a greater plan to revitalise the outer Perth suburb.
The Yorkshire Brewery redevelopment in Collingwood, completed last year by SMA Projects, saw the heritage-listed six storey brick brewing tower converted into apartments and townhouses.
- Requests for proposal close at 2pm on June 16, 2016.
