From the first revelation that Harvey Norman was planning to move its head office to the final decision against it by the City of Ryde Council, Appliance Retailer has led the coverage of this story with repeated exclusives.
Harvey Norman lobbying Ryde Council to develop new corporate headquarters
(Monday 18 March 2013)
Harvey Norman Limited plans on moving its headquarters from Homebush to a newly constructed, state-of-the-art facility in North Ryde, on top of the company’s existing Domayne outlet.
The company, which operates the Harvey Norman, Domayne and Joyce Mayne network of franchised and company owned stores, has applied to Ryde Council to construct three new buildings, including a Stamford Hotel, in Macquarie Park, near the ‘North Ryde Station Precinct’.
Should the proposals be successful, Harvey Norman’s new corporate head office would be located at a 12-storey commercial office tower above the Domayne store and a 6-storey commercial building at the site next to the Domayne store, currently occupied by a panel beater business called North Ryde Smash Repairs.
Architecture mock-ups of proposed new Harvey Norman head office
(Monday 18 March 2013)
Appliance Retailer was the only media outlet to reveal what the Harvey Norman head office would look like after obtaining architecture mock-ups designed by Allen Jack + Cottier:
Why Harvey Norman failed to gain approval for new Ryde head office development
(29 October 2013)
The plan to move Harvey Norman’s corporate head office to Macquarie Park, in Sydney’s northwest, has been interrupted by City of Ryde Council declining to support the planning proposal for the block of land earmarked for development.
SJP Planning, [an contractor hired by the Council to consult on the proposal], recommended to the Council that the development not proceed because Harvey Norman’s proposal to build residential apartments does not align with the Council’s stated goal for the precinct, which is as an economic hub with employment opportunities.
Harvey Norman’s head office move appears dead after Council again votes it down
(Friday 25 April 2014)
Harvey Norman’s plans to move its head office from Homebush to Macquarie Park appears dead after the City of Ryde Council again voted unanimously to reject the plans.
While the main stumbling block continued to be Harvey Norman’s plans for a residential development, the publicly listed retailer persisted with this as a feature of its plans during the appeals stage, resulting in another strike against the proposal.