Leases available at ex-HMAS Platypus submarine base
Sub Base Platypus looking towards North Sydney. Photo: Supplied

Leases available at ex-HMAS Platypus submarine base

The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust is seeking expressions of interest from prospective commercial tenants to lease and redevelop the 1.8-hectare former HMAS Platypus submarine base in North Sydney into a cultural, community and commercial hub.

The trust already has $20 million from the federal government and $4 million of its own funds to kick-start the redevelopment of the property to be named “Sub Base Platypus”.

The site has been dormant since the submarine base closed in 1998. Photo:L Lahznimmo Architects
The site has been dormant since the submarine base closed in 1998. Photo:L Lahznimmo Architects

It will first turn the site into a “serviceable shell”, including transforming the former submarine workshops on the waterfront into terraces, streets, squares and gardens for the public.

It is looking to raise another $30 million through the lease of the eight existing buildings on the base, including the torpedo factory and the submarine school.

The buildings, which have a lettable area of 12,000 square metres, can be leased in full or split into smaller spaces ranging from 35sq m to 6630sq m.

The trust confirmed that there will be no residential development on the property.

“Once completed, we will see Sub Base Platypus become a special destination for Sydneysiders and visitors alike, providing a range of facilities and venues for cultural performances, function areas, cafes and restaurants, as well as offices and commercial spaces,” harbour trust chief executive Mary Darwell said.

Seeking tenants: Retort House is one of the buildings on the 1.8-hectare Platypus site that has been closed to the public for 150 years. Photo: Geoff Magee
Seeking tenants: Retort House is one of the buildings on the 1.8-hectare Platypus site that has been closed to the public for 150 years. Photo: Geoff Magee

Selected tenants will start their leases in 2018, adapting the internal spaces to their operations while keeping the external heritage industrial facades.

“The harbour trust’s unique business model will see revenue raised through this leasing invested back into the parklands under our management,” said the chairman of the harbour trust’s board, Kevin McCann.

Parts of the site will be opened to the public from mid-2018, with the bulk of the work on the buildings expected to occur over the next two years, which will include a new over-water link to nearby Kesterton Park.

Expressions of interest close on October 31.