Gemi Adds Height, Reworks Mix for Castle Hill Scheme

A $419-million mixed-use scheme at Castle Hill backed by private lender Gemi Investments has returned to exhibition taller but leaner, cutting affordable housing, commercial space and parking.

GEMI 168 Pty Ltd lodged the proposal for 93–107 Cecil Avenue and 9–10 Roger Avenue,—on exhibition until April 1—with Justin Epstein, Michael Cooper and George Fleming listed as directors.

Alton Property Group is leading the project as development manager for Gemi.

Gemi previously sought to sell the Castle Hill site, 33km north-east of the Sydney CBD, before progressing the current scheme.

Revisions leave A+ Design Group’s overall scheme largely intact but shift the mix, delivering less affordable housing, commercial space and parking than proposed last year.

The amended version retains the four-building project first exhibited in March 2025 but lifts heights from 5 to 25 storeys to 23 to 35 storeys, while reducing apartments from 615 to 610.

Affordable housing has been reduced from 169 apartments to 117.

Commercial floor space has been cut from 8025sq m to 3789sq m.

The earlier scheme provided 979 car spaces across two basement levels.

The amended proposal reduces parking to 793 spaces across two basement and four partially below-ground levels.

▲ An A+ Design Group rendering of the proposed four-building mixed-use scheme at Cecil and Roger avenues, Castle Hill.

Plans include demolition, early works and staged construction across four buildings. A publicly accessible pedestrian through-site link would connect Cecil and Roger avenues.

The site spans 1.76ha across 18 allotments about 650m from Castle Hill metro station.

Planning for the site dates back to 2016, when a proposal to rezone the land for mixed-use development was filed with The Hills Shire Council.

Gateway approval followed in November 2016, and rezoning was finalised in July 2020.

▲ The 17,623.6sq m site spanning 18 allotments at Castle Hill.

Rezoning cleared the way for a higher-density mixed-use project, removing height limits and setting rules on scale, including a cap of 460 apartments and a requirement for at least 8025sq m of commercial floor space.

The earlier scheme sought to exceed those controls using the state’s affordable housing bonus provisions and proposed 15 per cent affordable housing for at least 15 years, to be managed by registered community housing provider Cubic Real Estate.

Gemi has been involved in the project since its first exhibition in March 2025, when Alton was already leading the scheme for the private lender.

In January, The Urban Developer reported Gemi investors would receive no return from the sale of four former Jon Adgemis pubs after proceeds fell short of senior debt.