Armidale Cadets Building refurbishment project

Transport for NSW (Transport), in collaboration with the Transport Asset Manager of NSW (TAM), are pleased to announce that the Armidale former Cadets Building on Brown Street has now been completely refurbished and transformed into a safe and vibrant hub for the local community. 

Officially renamed, Trackside, the new facility will be managed by specialist homelessness service provider Women’s Shelter Armidale (WSA) who will provide short-term crisis accommodation and other vital support service for people in the region doing it tough.

To help celebrate the launch of Trackside, you are invited to join us on Tuesday, 17 June 2025 for the grand opening where you’ll have the opportunity to tour the newly refurbished facility and take part in the official unveiling.

Event details

Date: Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Time: 10.15am – 12.00pm

Location: 230 Brown Street, Armidale

For more information see the June 2025 community notification (PDF, 281.31 KB).

_{Trackside refurbished courtyard}

_{Trackside laundry facilities}

Construction is progressing on the Armidale Cadets building and on track for completion by June 2025. Demolition, ceiling, roofing and recladding works are now complete. Other refurbishment works continue. To find out more, read our latest community update (PDF, 377.25 KB).

The future tenant, Women’s Shelter Armidale, is also proposing to rename the new community hub. 

To provide your suggestions, please fill out the survey.

We are pleased to announce that the tender process has now been finalised with construction planned to commence from Monday, 9 December 2024 and is expected to be completed by the end of Quarter 2, 2025.

Women’s Shelter Armidale is also proposing to rename the new community hub and invites the community to take part in the naming processes. 

To provide your suggestions, please fill out the survey.

For more information, please see the December community notification. (PDF, 285.05 KB)

The Armidale Cadets building, located at 230 Brown Street in Armidale, has been vacant since 2019 and is subject to high levels of vandalism and trespass, prompting a strategic intervention.

As a part of the Renewal and Heritage program, Transport in collaboration with Transport Asset Management of NSW (TAM) intends to repurpose and refurbish the building which includes commercial kitchen and laundry facilities, training rooms, temporary supportive accommodation facilities, chill out zones and counselling facilities.

Once the refurbishment is complete, Transport will lease the building for a nominal fee to a local not-for-profit social service provider, Women's Shelter Armidale (WSA).

WSA intends to use the purpose-built facility support people in the community that are experiencing hardship by creating a safe and secure space which provides a pathway to more stable accommodation options.

WSA will also be operating the space to provide a suite of support services including counselling, skills training and various activities for young people in the community. To assist the provision of these additional services, the facility will also include a commercial kitchen, laundry facilities, training rooms, chill out zones and counselling services.

The delivery of the project will allow WSA to provide holistic and responsive services to address homelessness and its drivers, empower vulnerable members of the community as well as help strengthen the capacity of our First Nations people to engage with their own healing.

The Renewal and Heritage program works with communities, Councils, and businesses to identify and repurpose suitable assets that deliver economic, social and community benefits to regional communities across NSW. 

• Deliver greater community value by creating a functional, sustainable, and fit-for-purpose asset which meets local community needs.
• Ensure safe community use of publicly owned assets, aligning with local planning priorities and strategic directions.
• Address social issues to help foster a positive change in the region.

Funding for the project has now been approved and tender awarded to an indigenous owned and operated construction company.

The funding injection means that in addition to more local jobs being created, multiple local organisations will benefit from this project as well as the local community.

Transport for NSW is currently working through internal processes and will update the community when more information becomes available.

WSA is proposing to rename the new community hub and invites the community to take part in the naming processes.

To provide your suggestions, please go to have your say.

The new name will be announced during the official opening of the facility.

We will continue to inform the community, Armidale Regional Council and key stakeholders on project progress and next steps via the project website, emails to project subscribers, community notifications, and media releases.

To register to receive project updates, please email the project team at regionalassetmanagement@transport.nsw.gov.au or complete the subscriber form above.

• June 2025 community notification (PDF, 281.31 KB)
• May 2025 community notification (PDF, 377.25 KB)
• December 2024 community notification (PDF, 285.05 KB)

• Statement of Heritage Impact - February 2023 (PDF, 8.11 MB)
• Detailed Site Investigation - July 2023 (PDF, 15.92 MB)

• May 2024
  
  New life planned for Armidale Cadet building

• September 2024 - Frequently asked questions (PDF, 363.83 KB)
• November 2024 - Frequently asked questions (PDF, 371.22 KB)