Canadian-based Oxford Properties Group will move ahead on building a 38-story office tower above Sydney Metro’s future Pitt Street Station after the project was approved.

The significant development designed by Foster + Partners fits an L-shaped block on Pitt Street in Sydney’s CBD with frontages to Park and Castlereagh streets.

The Pitt Street North Metro over-station development plans were lodged in July 2020. Construction is expected to begin later this year, in 2021.

The application showed a 177-meter-high building with 55,743 square meters of ground floor area including the train station, mezzanine, plant levels and two sky lobbies.

There were also four retail tenancies, storage, station management and building services on the ground floor with flexible commercial space starting at level five.

It is part of a twin-tower development including a build-to-rent south tower on the corner of Pitt and Bathurst streets which is yet to be approved.

Oxford Properties said it planed to complete the Pitt Street towers in 2023, with the scheduled metro services to begin in 2024.

The landmark office tower would leave an enduring legacy and enhance the area, according to the application.

“The asymmetry of the building is emphasised by articulating the height of the three distinct building tower forms,” the application said.

“Each tower volume has its own unique orientation and height, with the tower massing responding to the stepped roofs of ANZ Tower [242 Pitt Street], 2 Park Street and the 201 Elizabeth Street tower.”

The Canadian property developer has put a big focus on the Australian market during the pandemic.

It acquired another build-to-rent property in Footscray, Melbourne for AU$450 million (US$345 million) as the sector gains rapid momentum in the Australian property landscape.

Oxford Property also took control of AU$12 billion (US$9 billion) in commercial assets under management, securing a 50 percent stake in Investa while the 105 Miller Street, Sydney office plans remain under assessment.

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