WORK could start as early as next week on a new commercial office development at the end of Princes Street in the Bathurst CBD.
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Bathurst Regional Council has approved plans to redevelop 2 Princes Street on a site that was previously home to part of Bathurst’s first hospital, public baths and, most recently, the Mick O’Hehir Automotive service yard.
Council’s original approval allowed for all buildings on the site to be razed [though the familiar front wall was to be retained] but architects from Integrated Design Group came back with plans that will also save and restore one of the older buildings at the rear of the site.
IDG director Tony McBurney said the outcome showed the value of developers working closely with council to achieve a good result.
He said council’s initial approval to raze all the buildings provided a level of certainty for the developer at the start of the process and then it was a matter of “giving back” more as the plans progressed.
“We are keen to preserve as much as we can of the texture and craft of Australia’s oldest inland settlement,” Mr McBurney said.
“We like to work with good developers to achieve outcomes that are commercially sensible and preserve the character of the town. These things are not so far apart as people imagine.
“Good architecture achieves several objectives simultaneously and a big part of Bathurst’s attraction is its long heritage and old buildings, even parts of old buildings.”
Mr McBurney said buildings that incorporated original features as part of a redevelopment were attractive to potential tenants.
“It’s about relating the new building to the old by preserving the texture and the craft of the original,” he said.
Sydney-based construction company Lipman has been engaged to carry out the redevelopment after recently establishing a presence in Bathurst.
“Lipman is a business that has built strong relationships throughout its history and so we fit comfortably into a country town where relationships are still so important,” regional manager Andrew Middleton said.
The new building will provide 950 square metres of office space and have parking on-site. Highlight windows will bring light into the building and provide a view to the neighbouring Dairy Farmers tower.
