Tall & Urban News

Former Post Office Site in Canberra Could be Replaced with 24-Story Tower

The former post office may soon be the site of a new 24-story building.
The former post office may soon be the site of a new 24-story building.
16 November 2020 | Canberra, Australia

Borrowdale House in Woden may be converted into a 24-story building as the new owners have proposed building 222 apartments on the site. Canberra-based developer Keggins has bought the former Woden Post Office and is planning a residential and commercial building worth AUD$75 million (US$54.9 million) on the 2,229 square meter site.

However, the municipality has raised concerns about the shade and the height of the building. This came after the Cromwell Property Group recently sold Borrowdale House and the neighboring Lovett Tower. In a recent business update, the real estate investment firm announced that it has reached agreements with buyers about the buildings. Keggins bought Borrowdale House in late October 2020.

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W2

Lovett Tower was bought by another developer. Previous owners of Borrowdale House had an application for a 24-story tower, which was conditionally approved in 2010. The application stagnated until earlier this year when it was approved. This despite the fact that the building has been resold twice since then.

Borrowdale House was bought by Cromwell in 2015. They had planned to convert it into a parking garage for the Lovett Tower, but those plans were abandoned. Keggins acquired the property with the approved 24-story development application and said the plans were in line with it.

The developer has named the building “W2” and plans to bring apartments to the market next Wednesday. Keggins developed the Sapphire development at Kingston Foreshore and General Manager Brett Smith said the developer wanted to play a role in “the evolution of Woden." “Keggins has a philosophy of hand picking premium websites for its projects and we had a strong desire to be part of the development of Woden,” he said. “This location is in the heart of the city center and has direct access to major amenities. So we have a great opportunity to realize a project that suits its central location."

For more on this story, go to Al Khaleej Today.