5 August 2026
A massive new student accommodation project is taking shape in Wollstonecraft, with developers unveiling plans for a 12 storey ‘co-living’ tower just a stone’s throw from the Crows Nest’s Metro station at 35-51 Nicholson St.
The proposal, which has recently cleared the environmental impact phase of planning, comes with an estimated price tag of $97 million. The site currently accommodates a complex of two-to-three-storey residential townhouses featuring landscaped gardens and a communal swimming pool facing Nicholson Street.
Under the new plans, the existing structures will be demolished to make way for a student accommodation development. The design comprises a three-storey podium topped by a nine storey tower, with a total of 449 private rooms. These will range from single studios and studios with suites to DDA-compliant studios and two-bedroom configurations.
The development aims to create a hub for students, featuring communal indoor and outdoor living spaces, bicycle parking, and dedicated storage, notably with the exclusion of car parking entirely, Developers believe the site’s close proximity to the Crows Nest Metro station and St Leonards railway station.
If approved, the new tower will sit directly across the road from another significant development: the newly green lit 12 storey apartment building with 78 dwellings planned for 8-24 Nicholson St.
Both projects continue a wave of high density development in the area as the suburb develops into a major transit oriented precinct. Public feedback is currently open for the project through the NSW Government’s planning portal.