Surry Hills Shopping Village Is Set to Undergo a Drastic Modern Redevelopment

Everyone has had a Surry Hills Shopping Village experience. Maybe it is (or was) your closest spot for groceries, where you've bartered for salmon at the fishmonger, rummaged for discounted fresh produce at the fruit shop, or picked up an emergency serve of Singapore noodles from Noodle Star. Well, love it or loathe it, soon, it will all be different. The Cleveland Street shopping centre is set to be totally redeveloped — and the designs have just been released by property group Toga.

And, boy, does it look different. In the hands of architects SJB and Studio Prineas, Murder Mall — as it's 'affectionately' known — will keep its original 1867 Federation-style brickwork frontage, but also gain commercial space and a casual 157 residential apartments across an additional three storeys. Also new will be a small public park at the rear of the site (towards Baptist Street) and a "market-style" laneway that will no doubt feature a few street food vendors requisite of all new developments. The interiors will be given an upgrade, too, thanks to BKH Interiors.

The Coles supermarket will be retained, but it sounds like all other retailers will be booted in favour of more boutique offerings. A statement from Toga didn't mention specifics, but that it would be looking to fill the retail spaces with "a diverse mix of Surry Hills' finest providores and restaurateurs".

The master plan has already been approved, so Toga has now submitted the development application for the Surry Hills site. If it all goes ahead, construction will start late 2019 with a view to finish in early 2022. The shopping village will be closed in that time — to try and make up for the inconvenience, a shuttle will run between the site and the Coles in Waterloo.

There's no doubt that the shopping centre could do with a new coat of paint, but the development — which, according to The Australian Financial Review, will cost around $150 million — does pose to change the vibe of the site and the area around it, as has happened with similar developments in Waterloo and Chippendale.

The Surry Hills Shopping Village is located on the corner of Cleveland and Baptist streets, Redfern. It will remain open until late 2019. Find more info on the development here.