Mirvac Lodges $900m Green Square Housing Scheme

Mirvac Lodges $900m Green Square Housing Scheme

March 8, 2026

Image from the plan set for the proposed development at ssd 84322496 mixed use development at green square town centre sites 8 and 19.

One of the final major development sites in Sydney’s Green Square Town Centre is set to deliver more than 1,300 new homes under a $900 million-plus proposal now on public exhibition. The project represents a significant addition to housing supply in one of inner Sydney’s most prominent urban renewal precincts.

Developer Mirvac is seeking approval for a six-building mixed-use scheme at 411 Botany Road and 6 Geddes Avenue, Zetland, directly beside Green Square Plaza and the nearby Green Square railway station. The proposal would deliver 800 apartments and 514 purpose-built student accommodation units in towers rising up to 29 storeys, creating a dense residential cluster within walking distance of heavy rail and local services.

Located on the southern edge of the plaza, the development would complete the final stages of the Green Square Town Centre masterplanned redevelopment, which has been progressively delivered over the past decade. The proposal is being assessed as State Significant Development under the Housing Delivery Authority pathway, allowing the project to be considered alongside a concurrent rezoning aligned with the National Housing Accord.

Final Major Site in Green Square Town Centre

The proposal covers a 13,509-square-metre site immediately south of Green Square Plaza, a civic and commercial hub anchored by the underground library and surrounding public square. Planning documents indicate the development would frame the southern edge of the plaza and help complete one of the final undeveloped parcels within the town centre.

The site is currently largely vacant and used for temporary parking and construction-related activities. Under the proposal, Mirvac plans to construct five residential towers and one student accommodation building supported by ground-floor retail spaces, shared amenities and publicly accessible areas designed to integrate with the surrounding public domain.

Together, the buildings would deliver more than 1,300 homes in total, combining traditional apartments with purpose-built student accommodation. A shared basement would provide 588 car spaces, along with servicing and loading facilities to support the development.

The project also includes significant public domain works. These include the creation of three new streets—Woolpack Street, Hinchcliffe Street and Barker Street—as well as landscaped pedestrian links and public access corridors that would connect the development with surrounding streets and open spaces.

A page from the design report showing a likely architectural drawing or diagram. — Design of the Student Accommodation Building – 8b.

Fast-Tracked Through Housing Delivery Authority

The project is being advanced through the Housing Delivery Authority, a planning pathway introduced by the NSW Government to accelerate the delivery of large residential developments. The pathway allows major projects to be assessed as State Significant Development, enabling the Department of Planning to oversee the process while considering changes to local planning controls where required.

In this case, the proposal includes amendments to height and floor space ratio provisions under the Green Square Town Centre planning framework in order to facilitate the proposed density. The development has been positioned as a contribution to broader housing supply objectives under the National Housing Accord.

The Accord aims to deliver 1.2 million homes across Australia over five years, with New South Wales committing to deliver 377,000 homes by July 2029. Given the site’s proximity to heavy rail and its central location within a designated town centre, planning documents identify the site as well suited to accommodating significant additional housing.

Long Planning History for Key Site

The development site forms part of the staged redevelopment of the Green Square Town Centre, one of the largest urban renewal projects currently underway in Sydney. The precinct has been progressively developed over many years, with new residential buildings, civic infrastructure and public spaces delivered around the central plaza.

A previous development approval granted in 2017 under application D/2016/1557 allowed a four-building mixed-use scheme on part of the site. However, that approval ultimately lapsed in 2022 before construction commenced.

Another consent issued in 2023 allowed site preparation and remediation works across several parcels in the precinct. Those works are no longer being pursued under the earlier approval, with Mirvac instead shifting to the State Significant Development pathway for the broader redevelopment.

The current proposal represents the final of three State Significant Development applications tied to Mirvac’s broader Green Square Town Centre program. Separate applications cover early works and additional stages of the precinct redevelopment.

Alternative Design Excellence Pathway

Design quality is expected to be a central consideration in the planning assessment of the project. Under the Green Square planning controls, developments of this scale are typically required to undergo a competitive design process to demonstrate design excellence.

However, the accelerated timelines associated with the Housing Delivery Authority pathway meant that a conventional design competition was not undertaken. Instead, an alternative design excellence strategy was endorsed by the NSW Government Architect to allow the project to proceed within the required timeframes.

Three architectural practices—Mirvac Design, DKO and TZG—worked collaboratively on the project to provide architectural diversity across the site. A project-specific Design Review Panel reviewed the scheme on three occasions during its development and provided feedback on the proposed built form and urban design approach.

According to the Environmental Impact Statement, the panel indicated the proposal could achieve design excellence provided its recommendations were incorporated into the final design. The ultimate planning determination will assess whether the scheme delivers the level of architectural quality expected for such a prominent site.

Public Domain and Connectivity

The development’s relationship with Green Square Plaza and the surrounding public spaces will also form a key part of the assessment process. The site sits within a highly visible position in the town centre and its design will influence how the southern edge of the plaza is defined.

The project is subject to a Voluntary Planning Agreement with the City of Sydney that requires the delivery of public infrastructure and land dedications as part of the broader redevelopment. These obligations include new streets, pedestrian links and other public domain improvements.

Planning documents state the proposed development would improve pedestrian connectivity through the site and strengthen links between surrounding streets and open spaces. The scheme also aims to reinforce the role of Green Square Plaza as the civic heart of the precinct.

Amenity and Environmental Considerations

Given the scale of the proposal and its location within a dense urban environment, a range of environmental and amenity issues will be examined during the planning assessment. Technical studies submitted with the application address built form impacts, overshadowing, noise, contamination and residential amenity.

The Environmental Impact Statement concludes that potential impacts are either acceptable or can be managed through design refinements and operational controls. Nonetheless, several aspects of the development are likely to receive closer scrutiny as part of the assessment process.

These include the extent of overshadowing on surrounding buildings and public spaces, acoustic treatment for apartments facing Botany Road and the effectiveness of remediation measures addressing known site contamination.

Transport and Parking

The proposal includes a shared basement containing 588 car spaces, with vehicle access provided from Paul Street and Geddes Avenue. Servicing and loading facilities would also be located within the basement levels.

Planning documents highlight the development’s proximity to Green Square Station, which is located a short walk from the site and provides rail connections to the Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs. Multiple bus routes also operate along Botany Road within walking distance of the development.

Traffic modelling submitted with the application indicates surrounding intersections currently operate within capacity. However, the potential impacts of additional vehicle movements generated by the development will be considered as part of the planning assessment.