Here are my top five 'hottest neighbourhoods' for the forum in 2018:
5. Parramatta - In terms of overall openings, 2018 is shaping as a less hectic year for Parramatta than 2017. 11 Hassell Street will open, Parramatta's fourth building over 100m. Parra should also get its first rooftop bar. But it's the sheer amount of construction with a huge amount set for completion in 2019 that gets Parra onto the list - I'm thinking Western Sydney Stadium, the first commercial buildings at Parramatta Square, The Lennox, West Village, Horizon Towers and The Galleria. Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 should also be well underway.
4. Green Square - Completion of Ovo, the tallest building at Green Square to date, and opening of a whole host of public facilities including a library and community centre (Green Square Library and Plaza), park (The Drying Green), a childcare centre (Waranara Early Education Centre) and the arts (Joynton Avenue Creative Centre).
3. Chippendale - Central Park will be just about finished by this time next year! The new Duo and Wonderland apartment buildings will be completed, the Four Points by Sheraton will open, the new 5,500m2 of office space will open at 100 Broadway and hopefully there will be a good takeup of retail space on the ground level. The Australian Hotel and adjacent wine bar should open...and this will leave just the Brewery Building for completion. The other big opening in 2018 in Chippendale should be Judith Neilson's Phoenix multi-arts space...but last I saw there wasn't a huge amount of progress on this one.
2. Haymarket - Light rail construction will wrap up, testing will commence and Lower George Street, Rawson Place and Eddy Avenue will reopen. Work will continue on Darling Square with the delivery of new streets, laneways, public squares, Darling Exchange and new apartment and student accommodation buildings. The first bars, cafes, restaurants and specialty stores will open in the recently completed buildings in the south-west plot.
1. Sydney CBD - Light rail construction will wrap up, testing will commence and the full 1.2km pedestrian space between Hunter Street and Bathurst Street will open to the public. The Anzac Memorial will reopen in its entirety. York and George, Arc by Crown and Barrack Place will open, all bringing their own laneways and through-site connections filled with bars, cafes, restaurants and specialty stores. A host of new bars, cafes and restaurants are already confirmed to open in the city in 2018 including Bridge Spot, Old Mate's Place, Palings Lane Bar and Popolo. New retailers will include Chaumet, Suitsupply, Tiffany & Co and Valentino. And construction will ramp up on a swath of projects including Greenland Centre, Quay Quarter, One Circular Quay, 60 Martin Place, One30 Hyde, Wynyard Place, Castle Residences, Meriton, Adina Grand, The Ribbon and 60 Bathurst.
5. Parramatta - In terms of overall openings, 2018 is shaping as a less hectic year for Parramatta than 2017. 11 Hassell Street will open, Parramatta's fourth building over 100m. Parra should also get its first rooftop bar. But it's the sheer amount of construction with a huge amount set for completion in 2019 that gets Parra onto the list - I'm thinking Western Sydney Stadium, the first commercial buildings at Parramatta Square, The Lennox, West Village, Horizon Towers and The Galleria. Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 should also be well underway.
4. Green Square - Completion of Ovo, the tallest building at Green Square to date, and opening of a whole host of public facilities including a library and community centre (Green Square Library and Plaza), park (The Drying Green), a childcare centre (Waranara Early Education Centre) and the arts (Joynton Avenue Creative Centre).
3. Chippendale - Central Park will be just about finished by this time next year! The new Duo and Wonderland apartment buildings will be completed, the Four Points by Sheraton will open, the new 5,500m2 of office space will open at 100 Broadway and hopefully there will be a good takeup of retail space on the ground level. The Australian Hotel and adjacent wine bar should open...and this will leave just the Brewery Building for completion. The other big opening in 2018 in Chippendale should be Judith Neilson's Phoenix multi-arts space...but last I saw there wasn't a huge amount of progress on this one.
2. Haymarket - Light rail construction will wrap up, testing will commence and Lower George Street, Rawson Place and Eddy Avenue will reopen. Work will continue on Darling Square with the delivery of new streets, laneways, public squares, Darling Exchange and new apartment and student accommodation buildings. The first bars, cafes, restaurants and specialty stores will open in the recently completed buildings in the south-west plot.
1. Sydney CBD - Light rail construction will wrap up, testing will commence and the full 1.2km pedestrian space between Hunter Street and Bathurst Street will open to the public. The Anzac Memorial will reopen in its entirety. York and George, Arc by Crown and Barrack Place will open, all bringing their own laneways and through-site connections filled with bars, cafes, restaurants and specialty stores. A host of new bars, cafes and restaurants are already confirmed to open in the city in 2018 including Bridge Spot, Old Mate's Place, Palings Lane Bar and Popolo. New retailers will include Chaumet, Suitsupply, Tiffany & Co and Valentino. And construction will ramp up on a swath of projects including Greenland Centre, Quay Quarter, One Circular Quay, 60 Martin Place, One30 Hyde, Wynyard Place, Castle Residences, Meriton, Adina Grand, The Ribbon and 60 Bathurst.
