An application to turn the former home of the Daily Liberal into an expansive retail and residential precinct has been lodged with Dubbo Regional Council.
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The project, valued at almost $115 million, will change the feel of Macquarie Street, and will feature contemporary ground floor retail and upper level commercial office space, 200 serviced apartments and up to 90 residential apartments.
The pricetag and volume of the project means the application will also have to pass the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP), but Maas Group Family Properties general manager Steve Guy said the lodging of the paperwork is a significant step forward.
“It’s a process but it’s easier if all the work is put in now, rather than needing to chase things later on,” he said.
“When we announced the concept drawing and knocked the old building down, we had hoped we would have the DA in during December or January.
“But we’re dealing with a heritage item in the Old Bank, and it is such a big project we needed to make sure we had everything right before we lodged.”
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A total of 69 documents, ranging from acoustic reports to traffic impact statements to perspective drawings, are attached to the application.
Such complexity means that even if the application passes, it isn’t expected that construction will commence until later in the year.
“Even if we got the tick of approval then we would need to get a construction certificate approved after that,” Mr Guy said.
“It’s time consuming work and time is cost but we would rather have everything organised properly now than deal with it later.
“This construction is regionally significant so we’re going to a great level of detail to make sure that what we present to the market is something everyone can be proud of.”
With the plans and application before council, Mr Guy said now is the time that Maas Group will start talking with retailers and solidify conversations with potential residential investors.
“We’ve had discussions with retail industry people to make sure we’re providing what they would want as far as that space,” he said.
“Residentially we’ve been taking enquiries since we went public with the concept drawing so we’ll move forward with those as well.
“People gave us a firm indication of what they were looking for in this market, which Dubbo hasn’t really had before. They want quality but they also want a generous dwelling size.”
The 216 Macquarie Street site had been home to the Daily Liberal until October 2016, when operations moved to Talbragar Street.
Maas Group Family Properties purchased the premises shortly thereafter.
The building on the site was initially constructed in the 1960s to accommodate the former Macquarie County Council before it was reduced to rubble in November of last year.