First Look: Plans lodged for 37-storey mixed-use tower in Parramatta
A new State Significant Development application has been lodged over land at 33–43 Marion Street, Parramatta, proposing a high-rise mixed-use tower that leverages planning incentives to deliver a substantial pipeline of new housing, including a dedicated affordable component.
The scheme, currently on exhibition, combines a shop-top housing development with a concurrent rezoning, positioning the site for a significant uplift in density within Parramatta’s evolving southern CBD fringe.
The proposal, designed by Fuse Architects for CN Marion, would replace the existing buildings with a 37-storey mixed-use tower, delivering 296 apartments above a retail podium with six basement levels on the 2,376 sqm site.
The residential mix comprises 58 one-bedroom, 207 two-bedroom, and 31 three-bedroom apartments, with communal facilities located on the second level and the rooftop. Ground-level activation is driven by retail and food and beverage tenancies, alongside a publicly accessible through-site link designed to improve pedestrian permeability.
The project includes 194 car spaces, five motorcycle spaces, and 348 bicycle spaces, reflecting a transit-oriented approach in a location directly adjacent to the rail corridor and within walking distance of Harris Park Station.
The design adopts a podium-and-tower composition, with a three-storey street wall addressing Marion Street and a reduced two-storey interface responding to adjoining heritage cottages.
A key component of the proposal is the integration of affordable housing under the NSW Government’s in-fill affordable housing pathway, with units to be retained for a minimum of 15 years. This is paired with a broader public domain strategy that emphasises permeability, deep soil planting, and a landscaped through-site link.
“The strategy prioritises a permeable, well-activated public realm and supports a compact tower form to minimise the building’s footprint while enhancing the quality of the ground-level experience,” the design report states.
The proposal includes a central landscaped courtyard, rooftop communal areas, and planting strategies aligned with local environmental conditions and cultural narratives.
The site occupies a prominent corner of Marion and Station streets, roughly 100 metres from Harris Park Station, within a precinct earmarked for significant intensification. While the immediate context is characterised by low- to mid-rise buildings and heritage dwellings, planning controls and recent proposals point to a transition toward high-density development.
Parramatta has been starved of new apartment supply in recent years. Builder-developers Deicorp and Coronation are the only two currently progressing projects in the suburb. Coronation is nearing completion of 8 Phillip Street, which will be the tallest building in Western Sydney once finished, while Deicorp is delivering Cosmopolitan, a development comprising over 600 apartments.
Joel Robinson
Joel Robinson is the Editor in Chief at Apartments.com.au, where he leads the editorial team and oversees the country’s most comprehensive news coverage dedicated to the off the plan property market. With more than a decade of experience in residential real estate journalism, Joel brings deep insight into Australia’s evolving development landscape.
He holds a degree in Business Management with a major in Journalism from Leeds Beckett University in the UK, and has developed a particular expertise in off the plan apartment space. Joel’s editorial lens spans the full lifecycle of a project, from site acquisition and planning approvals through to new launches, construction completions, and final sell-out, delivering trusted, buyer-focused content that supports informed decision-making across the property journey
