St Mary’s Cathedral College, one of the oldest schools in Sydney, is planning a second campus in a nine-storey commercial building located in Woolloomooloo. Sydney Catholic Schools, which acquired the heritage-listed building for $102 million, has lodged a development application for the proposed expansion of the school with the City of Sydney.
The $19.7 million plan for the second campus in the inner-city suburb aims to accommodate hundreds of senior students, with the proposal encompassing brand new classrooms offering collaborative learning spaces, multipurpose performance spaces, fitness/dance studio, end-of-trip facilities, and flexible outdoor spaces among others.
St Mary’s Cathedral College, which completes 200 years in 2024, is a year 3-12 all-boys school. However, the school – also the alma mater of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – is considering a move to becoming a K-12 co-educational institution – a proposal that will also double its enrolment to 1400 students across both sites. The proposed second campus is located less than 400 metres from the main school building and will accommodate about 300 students.
The development application for 52-58 William St, Woolloomooloo seeks to convert four of the nine levels in the commercial building into educational spaces as part of the first stage of the redevelopment.
While the proposed expansion is expected to support the educational needs of a growing population in the inner-city suburb, and also generate employment opportunities, the City of Sydney has received several objections to the plan from local residents who fear the new campus will increase traffic and noise in the area.
Image: https://www.cowynbuilding.com.au/st-marys-cathedral-college-sydney
