The Sydney North Planning Panel has approved Willoughby Legion Ex-Services Club’s $95 million redevelopment.
The upgrade will include a luxury senior living complex and almost 2000 square metres of open space with memorial gardens.
The premises of the 52-year-old building will be demolished to make way for the new mixed used project. The club will be set over three levels with multiple restaurants, café, lounge and bar facilities.
It will also include a 1500-square metre multi-purpose area, meeting spaces for community groups as well as a retail component. On level three there will be an additional 500-square metre function room available for the community to hire.
The residential section will include 126 luxury apartments – 102 of which will be designated for over 55-year-olds and the remaining 24 for all age groups. In addition, there will be an aged care facility on the site and a 406-space underground car park.
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The seniors living complex will include a concierge, dining facilities, an indoor swimming pool, gym/pilates studio and onsite consulting rooms for a doctor and physiotherapist.
The redevelopment of Club Willoughby will take place in conjunction with Hyecorp Property Group.
Hyecorp Property Group Managing Director Stephen Abolakian said the decision follows almost 10 years of planning with Club Willoughby to create a vision for the site that will benefit both long-time patrons and the local community.
“This is such an exciting project that provides both a sustainable future with modern facilities for Club Willoughby and excellent amenities for the Willoughby community – everyone will be able to all come together and connect,” Abolakian said.
“An integral part of our planning was to provide high-quality living options allowing people to progress through various life stages and stay within a much-loved neighbourhood.”
Community consultation for the development of the site, located on the corner of Crabbes Ave and Penshurst Street, commenced in 2016 for the draft masterplan. A site compatibility certificate was obtained in 2018 and a development application lodged in September 2019.
Club President Matt Vertzonis said the end result will be a significant improvement to the amenity of the North Willoughby precinct given the Club’s long history in the area. The support of Willoughby City Council and now State Government approval means that they can now ‘get on with the job of delivering a great project for both our members and the local community’.
“It has been a long road to get to this point, and there is still a lot of work needed to complete and occupy the new Club premises,” Vertzonis said.
“The new Club and Memorial Park will continue the legacy of the Ex-Service members that originally founded the Club in the late 1940’s to be an integral part of our local area and continue being a strong supporter of the many valuable community groups and causes in Willoughby-Chatswood.”