ONE of Western Sydney’s most recognisable meeting places and public domains, Parramatta Square, has again been honoured claiming the State’s top urban development award last night.
Parramatta Square was named the 2024 Urban Renewal project of the year at the Urban Development Institute of Australia New South Wales (UDIA NSW) & Urban Property Group Awards for Excellence in Sydney.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Pierre Esber said the award marks the 10th win for the precinct since 2020.
“Parramatta Square has transformed our CBD, building on Parramatta’s history as a traditional meeting place.
“Last year it also became the first public domain in Australia to achieve Climate Active carbon neutral certification, making it one of the most sustainable of its kind.
“I thank UDIA NSW and Urban Property Group Awards for Excellence for this prestigious acknowledgement. I also commend Walker Corporation for this multi-billion-dollar urban renewal project.”
The final piece of the puzzle of Parramatta Square – Parramatta Town Hall – opened in December last year marking the end of construction on the $2.8 billion precinct.
“With more people returning to the office, they are dining at restaurants and cafes, exploring PHIVE, and enjoying the Square on their way to and from the office, helping to spread the word,” Cr Esber said.
Walker Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer David Gallant said Parramatta Square is testament to what can be achieved when government and private stakeholders collaborate to deliver a shared vision.
“It’s an honour to take home the UDIA award for excellence in urban renewal. We are proud of the accolades stacking up for Parramatta Square by Walker, which was recently recognised by NABERS as Australia’s most sustainable commercial portfolio,” Mr Gallant said.
“What started as a vision from our late founder Lang Walker AO, has become a great commercial and cultural hub for Western Sydney.
Parramatta Square is a major urban renewal project renowned for its premium design, first-class amenity and transport connectivity, which has set a new benchmark for Australian placemaking.”
Parramatta Square contains four premium A-Grade commercial towers with 240,000 square metres of new office and retail space around 10,000 square metres of public domain. It is home to big name corporations and organisations such as National Australia Bank (NAB), ABC, Walker Corporation, NSW Government and Western Sydney University’s city campus
PHIVE and Parramatta Town Hall are key community and civic hubs at Parramatta Square while public art, such as Place of the Eels by Sean Cordiero and Claire Healy and Reko Rennie’s Where the Eels Lie Down, and the Dharug Circle have been installed to tell the story of the City over thousands of years, completing a 20-year vision for the City.