Commercial Development Planned for the Old Substation and Switch House in Surry Hills

The old substation and switch house at the back of the Royal Institute Building, in between the Prince Alfred Park and the railway yards in Surry Hills, could be turned into a $5.8 million office space following its decommissioning and vacancy since 2019.

The move is part of the plan for the NSW government to redevelop Sydney’s Central Station into a world-class technology hub. The development application (DA D/2021/585) was lodged in May 2021 and is still awaiting a decision.

The application calls for the creation of a commercial space connecting the three-storey and two-storey buildings that will be fitted with modern fixtures, including improved accessibility for the stairs, lifts and the pedestrian areas near Prince Alfred Park.

The tenants of the proposed development are expected to operate their businesses between 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. They will consist of start-up and scale-up companies. However, no tenants have been listed for the building as of press time. Further renovation plans will be revealed by Transport for NSW in the coming months.

However, the project aims to protect much of the site’s heritage elements listed under the Sydney Terminal and Central Railway Stations Group.

Photo Credit: AGE Archive/Development Application

“The former substation is no longer needed for transport services and TfNSW is proposing to conserve and restore this unique heritage building prior to enable sensitive reuse in line with the adaptive reuse strategy commissioned,” the development application stated.

“The proposal is an adaptive reuse to enable a minimalist refurbishment to bring the buildings up to safe and suitable standard for use as modern commercial office space.”

Conservationists at the National Trust NSW said that reusing the old substation and switch house would help preserve its historical importance, especially if the project puts focus on the building’s heritage elements.

The old substation and the switch house were built in 1925 following the expansion of the railways, which switched to electric power by then.

This proposal comes as Atlassian, a major tech company, has a development for a 40-storey commercial building beside the Central station. Developer giants Dexus and Frasers are also redeveloping a site near the train station for $2.5 billion.