Villawood: Traders in Purple propose apartments, supermarket, park for Kamira Ave

A $89.6m urban transformation is set for southwest Sydney, with plans lodged for three residential towers featuring apartments, cafes, shops and playground at Villawood.

Artist impressions for Villawood Town Centre.

A vacant plot of land could undergo a $89.6m urban transformation including three residential towers – standing up to 11 storeys – alongside a retail and commercial precinct in a bid to revamp a southwest Sydney suburb’s town centre.

Plans have been lodged with Fairfield Council on behalf of developer Traders in Purple for a 10,958sq m site, owned by the Land and Housing Corporation, on Kamira Ave, Villawood.

If approved, the site will ultimately feature more than 360 apartments, cafes, a childcare facility, a supermarket, a medical centre, nine shops, a children’s playground and green space.

The first stage, which has been granted deferred approval, includes a 10 storey residential tower, including 55 social housing units, with a ground floor cafe. Construction is expected to begin across the next 12 months.

Traders In Purple director George Geagea said the combination of social and private housing would help to break down the stigmas associated with community housing.

Stage one of the proposed Villawood Town Centre

“Villawood will be a shining example of what a good community looks like,” he said.

“We are in the midst of a housing crisis and the project in Villawood will not only provide community housing but make a significant contribution to the supply of high quality apartments to the private market in a well-connected and established suburb.”

Stages one and two of the proposed Villawood Town Centre

Land and Housing Corporation CEO Simon Newport said the development would revitalise Villawood and deliver “top quality, well designed” homes.

“It doesn’t matter whether the property is social or private because we don’t want to be delivering different standards for different people, everybody should be treated the same,” he said.

The project follows similar major developments by LAHC at Riverwood, Macquarie Park and Bonnyrigg.

The NSW Government recently slashed red tape to address the housing crisis with LAHC given greater powers to approve its own developments instead of going through councils. It comes as the waiting list for social housing exploded by 15 per cent in 2022.

The plans have been referred to the Sydney Western City Planning Panel and are under assessment.

Pending approvals, the project will be completed by 2025.