First Look: Formus Property partners with Salvation Army for Miranda mixed-use tower

Miranda’s town centre could gain a new community-focused residential development under plans lodged by Formus Property for a mixed-use tower combining housing with social and charitable services. 

Following a competitive tender that attracted over 20 major developers, Formus was selected by The Salvation Army for its proven experience partnering with clubs, churches, and charities to deliver high-quality projects, and its end-to-end development capability.

Designed by Turner, the scheme would introduce 116 apartments above a podium accommodating community, charity, and commercial uses, anchored by a Salvation Army support centre at ground level. 

The proposal sits on a 2,447 sqm site at 2–6 Willock Avenue and 23 Kiora Road just a short walk from Miranda Station and Westfield Miranda, positioning it within one of the Shire’s most active retail and transport precincts.

The apartments would be delivered across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, with a dwelling distribution of roughly 11 per cent one-beds, 56 per cent two-beds, and 33 per cent three-bedroom or larger apartments.

The scheme has been conceived as a mixed-use building integrating housing with community services, responding to both housing demand and the need for social support infrastructure in the area. Turner explained in the Design Report that the proposal aims to combine residential accommodation with a contemporary community-focused support facility at street level, creating a development that serves both residents and the broader Miranda community.

The architectural design incorporates a podium-and-tower form intended to balance density with a strong street presence. A defined street wall along Willock Avenue anchors the building within the existing streetscape, while the tower component above introduces staggered massing to break down the scale of the building and respond to surrounding development. The façade strategy combines brick, concrete, and glazed elements, with vertical brick blade columns grounding the podium and horizontal banding used to unify the residential levels above.

Design features have been carefully considered to address both amenity and environmental performance. Floor-to-ceiling glazing and transparent balcony balustrades are positioned along the northern façade to maximise views and solar access, while horizontal sun-shading elements help manage summer heat gain and improve passive environmental performance.

The project forms part of a broader development partnership between Formus Property and The Salvation Army, which owns the land. The redevelopment would enable the charity to upgrade and expand its community support facilities while unlocking additional housing supply in a well-connected location.

Miranda has been identified in strategic planning documents as one of the Sutherland Shire’s key commercial centres, alongside Sutherland, Cronulla, Caringbah, Menai, and Engadine. The suburb has increasingly become a focal point for higher-density housing, supported by strong rail connectivity and major retail anchors such as Westfield Miranda.