Exell Street Project

Location Cnr Exell and McPherson St, Banksmeadow Category Industrial About This Project Contaminated, flood vale zone, a creek and an existing stand of casuarinas – a particular favourite dining resource of the local area black cockatoos. Our developer client wanted maximum return on their $6m land purchase in 2005. We had to elevate the whole site above the 1:100 year Flood Event Level (PFI), improve the creek, retain the casuarinas, allow for truck turning, car parking, loading, site maximisation, disability access. Not much to do really. Our design places the parking under the main floor level, in a bunded, flood protected area. This also takes the burden of parking away from the main site level, increasing the site efficiency for development. This was a lengthy approval process with no fewer than six separate planners in council, each with a different agenda, but we were able to gain approval after 18 months of wrangling. We were successful in having 11 units approved with a floor space to site area efficiency of 85%. Construction works were undertaken by others as we had to have a hiatus due to family reasons. Materials and finishes were changed from our original specification and age has not been particularly kind to some of these introduced items.