Wedoany.com Report on Mar 13th, Urban Property Group recently submitted a planning proposal to The Hills Shire Council through its project entity, UPG Castle Corner Pty Ltd, seeking to develop a 40-storey skyscraper on the site at 16-20 Old Castle Hill Road, Castle Hill. The project is located in the Castle Hill Strategic Centre, adjacent to Castle Hill Metro Station, and forms part of the transit-oriented development in Sydney's North West Growth Corridor.

The planning proposal indicates that the skyscraper, designed by Studio SC, will comprise 371 apartments and ground-floor retail space, including 42 affordable housing units to be retained for at least 15 years. The residential mix includes 194 two-bedroom, 90 one-bedroom, 83 three-bedroom, and 4 four-bedroom apartments. The building will adopt a podium-and-tower form, with a warm-toned masonry structure at the lower levels and a light glass façade above. The project also plans for six levels of basement parking and service facilities and seeks an increase in the floor space ratio to 12.31:1 to enhance development capacity. Upon completion, this skyscraper will become the tallest building in Castle Hill.

The project has been declared a State Significant Project by the New South Wales Government through the Housing Delivery Agency pathway, allowing large-scale housing proposals to be assessed directly by the state government to accelerate housing supply. The planning report notes that Castle Hill is transitioning from a traditional low-rise suburban centre to a metropolitan destination centred around the metro. The proposed height of this skyscraper reflects the trend towards higher density in the area.

Urban Property Group was founded by George Elias in 1987 and is currently led by Co-CEOs Patrick and Mark Elias. It is one of Sydney's active developers. The group is expanding its development pipeline in New South Wales, including a major build-to-rent and office project in Parramatta, 178 townhouses in Edmondson Park, and a 39-storey tower at the Wickham waterfront in Newcastle. Its $415 million Mayfair project, comprising 431 apartments and 7,000 square metres of retail and commercial space, is underway in Thornton near Penrith. This skyscraper project marks Urban Property Group's first development in Castle Hill, highlighting the trend towards higher density in Sydney's North West Growth Corridor.