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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Brittney Levinson

Former govt office to be demolished and replaced with 318 units

Guilfoyle House would be demolished to make way for 318 apartments under a developer's proposal. Picture Stewart Architecture

The community has been invited to share their views on a proposal for hundreds of new apartments at a former office block in Tuggeranong.

Guilfoyle House in Greenway would be demolished to make way for 318 apartments across two buildings in the second and final stage of the redevelopment project.

Stage one is currently under construction and will include 146 build-to-rent apartments.

Former Croation footballer Josip Simunic and his brother Tomislav, through their company Simunic Brothers No 3 Pty Ltd, are the owners of the site.

It will be developed by Tomislav's company Empire Global Developments, a firm behind several large-scale projects in Canberra.

The company has engaged Purdon Planning to undertake community consultation before a development application is submitted.

Former office to be demolished

Guilfoyle House was leased to the federal government until September 2015. The property, 305 Anketell Street, sold later that year for $4.4 million, CoreLogic records show.

Under the proposal, Guilfoyle House would be demolished to make way for two buildings of up to nine storeys in height.

The 318 apartments will range from studios to three-bedroom layouts, while a ground-floor commercial unit is also included in the plans.

Once complete, the entire development will include 464 homes. Picture Stewart Architecture

Stewart Architecture was engaged for the design of the buildings, which are proposed to feature a red or brown brick facade with black metal cladding.

Residents would have access to communal gardens and a rooftop space with outdoor dining facilities.

"Trees, lawns and mass plantings within deep planters are proposed to provide natural amenity to residents and balance the built form," the website states.

Stage one approved

Stage one, to be called Emporium apartments, includes 146 build-to-rent apartments housed in an eight-storey building.

The building is currently under construction and retained and managed by Empire Global.

Stage one is already under construction. Picture Stewart Architecture

Empire Global general manager Joe Tonkovic said stage two is currently a build-to-sell development but that could change to meet market demand.

"There's potential to convert that to a build-to-rent, depending on what the market requires at the point of time that we get approval," he said.

The block is located next to the established Southquay Greenway precinct on Lake Tuggeranong, which Empire Global developed a large portion of.

In an effort to maximise solar access and minimise overshadowing, the new development will be located at least 20 metres away from the existing residential buildings, the proposal states.

"This separation obstructs direct sight lines into the nearby residences and is intended to provide a reasonable level of privacy for the occupants on site and on adjoining blocks," the development website stated.

Community consultation on stage two of the development closes on June 9, with two online information sessions planned.

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