St Francis Xavier Parish Renewal, Lavender Bay

Project overview

In partnership with St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia, the Parish of our Lady of the Way are preparing plans to redevelop the Lavender Bay site (1-19 Mackenzie Street and 211 Blues Point Road) into a vibrant Catholic precinct that respects its heritage and serves the community for generations.

The renewal will restore and enhance the church and historic buildings, add new parish facilities, and deliver affordable rental housing for key workers, vulnerable people and those in crisis.

With improved public spaces, safer connections, and a design that complements the site’s history, this renewal will create a welcoming place of worship, support and community life in the heart of North Sydney.

The proposed renewal will also include:

  • 180+ residential dwellings, of which, 50+ will be affordable housing dwellings managed by St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia CHP
  • Through-site links to North Sydney Station Plaza (owned by Zurich Australia)
  • Retail-activated landscape square surrounding St Francis Xavier Catholic Church (heritage item)
  • Undergrounding of current surface-grade carparking.

This proposal directly responds to the core objective of the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) by delivering affordable and market housing in a well-located area.The HDA is a NSW Government body created in late 2024 to help boost the supply of housing in response to State and Federal housing targets. It plays a central role in accelerating major residential developments by streamlining assessment processes and enabling faster decision-making at the state level.

St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia and the Parish of Our Lady of the Way has commissioned HillPDA to collect feedback and answer your questions. Your feedback from engagement will help shape the proposal. Feedback received will be collated into an Engagement Outcomes Report that can be viewed alongside the Planning Application.The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure will then place the proposal on public exhibition for formal feedback, where you have another opportunity to have your say.

Two in-person community drop in session have been scheduled to provide the Parish of Our Lady of the Way, surrounding community and interested stakeholders an opportunity to find out more about the proposal and provide feedback. These sessions will be held at St Francis Xavier Catholic School Hall, Lavender Bay on:

  • Saturday, 27th June 2026 between 3:30pm - 4:30pm
  • Sunday, 28th June 2026 at 10:30am - 11:30am

Please drop-in to speak with the project team.

In recognising that the newsletters informing the community about these sessions were distributed late, we will leave the engagement feedback timeframe open until the 19th July to provide adequate time for interested stakeholders to participate.

Project facts

Crane with solid fill

Construction management

A Construction and Traffic Management Plan will be prepared prior to construction to carefully manage adverse construction-related impacts including noise, traffic, and air quality. The proposal intends to minimise these impacts to the surrounding area.

Traffic light with solid fill

Traffic

A Transport Impact Assessment will be prepared to support the application, which will ensure a safe and efficient access arrangement from and to the site, aimed to minimise any adverse impacts on the surounding area. 

Taxi with solid fill

Parking

On site parking for motor vehicles and bicycles is proposed to be located within the building in accordance with the planning controls.

Building form

The design will be carefully refined to respond to the surrounding built form, taking cues from the height and density of the site’s existing and future context.

Affordable housing

The Concept Proposal will provide a minimum of 25% of the residential GFA as affordable housing to be managed by St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia, supporting more inclusive housing outcomes. St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia is a Tier 1 not for profit Community Housing Provider with proven track record in delivering and managing affordable housing.

Access and location

The site is strategically located adjacent the North Sydney Train Station in an established urban area. The Parish and St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia has been in dialogue with both adjoining land holders (Aqualand and Zurich) to explore activation opportunity of the precinct, including the Parish lands, and provide critical north/south linkages from North Sydney Train Station to the south. 

Infrastructure capacity

An assessment of the social infrastructure needs (schools, open space and services) created by the proposal will be provided within the EIS.

  • Parishioner and community survey

    Please complete our survey here.