Nine transmission tower to start being dismantled
Willoughby skyline will be transformed when Nine's historic transmission tower starts coming down.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Nine’s former television tower in Willoughby is to start being dismantled within days following the network’s move to North Sydney in November.
The 233 metre tower was one of three in the area erected across the 1950s and 1960s but will take some 9 months to dismantle.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports a crane nearly 200 metres tall will be erected on-site over two months, with cables stretching to the ground attached to the surrounding bedrock.
Specialist crews will gradually take the tower apart in sections. The narrower top half will be removed over two months. A second heavy-duty crane will then be used to remove the wider lower half in larger sections over three months.
Willoughby mayor Gail Giles-Gidney said the tower “absolutely” divided local opinion. “I think while the tower’s an iconic landmark, it’s also one where if you can return the site to its natural state, people are supportive of that. It’s pretty exciting.”
Mirvac Group purchased Nine’s 3ha site in February 2020 in a deal worth about $227 million. The site was originally sold in 2015 for $147 million to a joint venture party formed by Australian property fund the Lotus Group and Hong Kong-based fund managers Euro Properties.
The demolition of the tower is expected to be completed in early 2022.
Photos: Neerav Bhatt
3 Responses
“if you can return the site to its natural state, people are supportive of that. It’s pretty exciting”. Yeah, I guess building 460 little boxes, all made out of ticky-tacky, with 1,000 more cars, is returning the site to its natural state.
Beautifully said. When he says he’s excited, the mayor must be thinking of the $$$ they’ll bring in… “In 2020, property developer Mirvac bought the 3.2 hectare site for $249 million, with plans to remove the tower, raze the existing buildings, and replace them with 460 units in 10 blocks up to nine storeys, alongside 6000 square metres of public space.”
I wonder what the 6000 square metres of public space will consist of – or is that what they call the council strips / space for roads / any free space not consumed by their shoebox towers.
gaps between the apartment blocks