Marrickville Council has unanimously reaffirmed its commitment to the new library and community hub tender process at the old Marrickville Hospital site.
All Councillors agreed to reject an offer to purchase the entire site.
Council is currently proceeding with a two-stage tender after an Expression of Interest (EOI) process under Section 55 of the Local Government Act (LGA) to redevelop the site.
Council intends for the site to benefit the Marrickville community by including:
- a library and community hub of 3600m2
- sixty underground car spaces
- 1200m2 of open space adjoining the library and community hub
- the provision of four percent affordable housing
- residential/commercial development on the balance of the site.
However, Council received an unsolicited offer from Maxma Developments to purchase the entire site outright for $52 million.
“And it was right and proper that this offer be brought to Council, in a full and open meeting which included public participation from interested residents,” said Mayor of Marrickville Councillor Mark Gardiner.
“While all twelve Councillors voted to reject the offer, and reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring the site is an asset for the future of Marrickville. it certainly is interesting and instructive to hear from a developer how much they think the site is worth.
“While Council has over the years sought various professional valuations, these have always differed greatly.
“We have also seen really dramatic property value rises in Sydney generally and in the inner west in particular.
“Now, when we proceed to the formal tender process for the redevelopment of the site, we really are fully informed as to what the actual market value is.
“This is really valuable information for Council and for all the Councillors.
“I want to thank all my colleagues and also the Council staff for dealing with this unexpected twist in the long running story of the old hospital site in an open, transparent, and appropriate way.”
