By ANNA USHER

A disused slice of government land that has sat empty beside Artarmon Station for years is being sold off to the highest bidder.

The 1,270sqm block on Butchers Lane has been declared “surplus to requirements” by Transport for NSW, and heads to public auction on Tuesday 4 August.

The land has a backstory. It was earmarked for a Metro electrical substation, before Transport for NSW won approval to move it to the Artarmon industrial area “following community feedback”, Sydney Metro said at the time.

A Sydney Metro train tunnel also runs directly beneath the site.

Vacant land rarely comes up for sale in Artarmon, and this triangular block sits a short walk from the station, between the Gore Hill Freeway and Butchers Lane.

No price guide has been published, and the reserve will be handed to the auctioneer in writing on the day.

Zoned for housing near the station

The land is zoned R3 medium density residential under the Willoughby local environment plan, with a 17.5-metre height limit.

It falls within 800 metres of Artarmon Station, so it is covered by the state’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms. Selling agents Knight Frank say those rules now allow townhouses and multi dwelling housing on the site and flags the option of buying the adjoining council-owned land to enlarge it.

What the title records

The land title excludes a “railway tunnel” stratum, a layer of ground carved out for the Sydney Metro tunnel under a compulsory acquisition. Any development that digs more than two metres down will need written concurrence before council can grant consent.

The title also carries an easement for “noise, dust and vibration” over the whole block, registered to Transport for NSW in April 2025, and a covenant requiring any future building to include noise and vibration proofing.

A restriction registered in December bans vehicle access to the freeway, leaving Butchers Lane as the only way in.
The contract states there is no sewer connected, a 300mm main runs along the southern boundary, and the buyer must arrange services and accept all contamination risk.

These blocks get snapped up

Small government land parcels have sparked fierce local bidding before.

When Ausgrid sold three tiny leftover blocks across Mosman and Neutral Bay last year, each sold well above its guide, some for around triple, Mosman Collective reported at the time.

One 31sqm patch of grass in Neutral Bay is now set to become a coffee kiosk. The Artarmon block dwarfs it.

Butchers Lane itself is a relic of the area’s industrial past, named after the Butcher Bros brickworks that once operated nearby.

The auction will be held on Tuesday 4 August.