Developer The Living Company has secured planning approval for a $1.5 billion residential precinct in Marrickville, clearing the way for one of the country’s largest and most ambitious build-to-rent (BTR) projects.

The NSW State Significant Development (SSD) consent will be designed by firms TURNER, ArchitectureAND as well as Tribe Studio and covers the Marrickville Timberyards site, a 2.2-hectare former industrial parcel about six kilometres from Sydney’s central business district.

This new project will deliver 1,166 purpose-built rental apartments across seven buildings, along with 10,200sqm of new public open space anchored by retail, co-working and community facilities.

Long closed to the public, the site will be redeveloped as a pedestrian-focused neighbourhood designed to integrate housing, employment, creative uses, and green space.

The developer says the precinct aims to set a national benchmark for large-scale rental housing, emphasising long-term tenancy, design quality and public access.

The plan includes a strong focus on local culture, with partnerships planned with Marrickville-based makers and creatives. A 225sqm creative hub will host an artist-in-residence program, alongside curated public art installations across the site.

Sustainability features of the precinct will include electric vehicle charging for all residents, charging for e-bikes, 726 bicycle parking spaces and a resident-only electric car-share program. The development is targeting a 4 Star Green Star rating and a 7.5 Star NatHERS energy rating.

“Marrickville Timberyards represents a novel and necessary opportunity to deliver high-quality, long-term rental housing at true precinct scale, without compromising on design, sustainability or community,” says Stephen Gaitanos, founder, and joint chief executive of The Living Company.

“This approval allows us to unlock a site that has been closed off for decades and return it to the people of Marrickville as a vibrant, inclusive and future-ready neighbourhood”, he adds.

The project is backed by long-term institutional investors Bouwinvest, APG and NPS. The Living Company says it is targeting a national pipeline of 10,000 build-to-rent homes by 2035.

Demolition work is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks, with the first stage, comprising 661 apartments, expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2028, with a further 513 homes due by mid-2029.

Images: Renders / Supplied.

Architecture & Design Team

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