Hills Shire Council defers NSW Government plans for 25-storey hotel, commercial precinct in Norwest Business Park
A 25-storey hotel and commercial office precinct, proposed by the NSW Government, is being blueprinted as the future centrepiece of Norwest Business Park and Sydney Metro northwest corridor in Sydney’s north west. However, plans have been stopped in their tracks over a lack of parking for the site.
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A NSW Government vision to see the construction of a 25-storey hotel and commercial hub neighbouring the Sydney Metro Norwest station has been deferred by The Hills Shire Council, citing concerns around building heights and a lack of parking.
The original proposal, which was submitted to council’s planning department in December, suggested the construction of a high-rise 30-storey tower alongside two 11 and 14-storey commercial buildings at 25 to 31 Brookhollow Ave, Norwest.
However, an assessment of the proposal by council planners identified concerns around adequacy of proposed parking of 360 parking spaces, retail uses at the site, concerns around the “insufficient size” of a public plaza proposed as part of the development and proposed scale of the towers.
When it came to the height of the original tower, planners said, “heights of up to 205m were previously considered excessive within the Norwest Precinct by both council and the Regional Planning Panel in their consideration of the planning proposal for Marketown”.
Following council’s concerns, NSW Government developer Landcom revised plans for the proposal, including reducing the height of the high-rise tower to 25-storeys, increasing retail floor space from 3500sq m to 3,900 to accommodate a supermarket, decreasing office spaces from 40,500sq m to 39,455 and increasing the size of the hotel from 8000sq m to 8645.
A Hills Shire Council planning representative said no residential uses are proposed as part of this planning proposal.
“The proposal will preserve the site for employment uses, increase jobs and provide supporting services for businesses, workers and commuters of the Sydney Metro Northwest,” she said.
“The form and scale of the proposal is considered appropriate to reflect the significance and prominence of the site at the core of the Precinct and as a beacon for Norwest Station.”
The town planner said despite the fact that the proposal offers more than 900 car spaces less than council’s parking policy, “the strategic role of the site and its location immediately adjoining a metro station” meant a reduced rate was considered appropriate, recommending 550 parking spaces be provided.
“The report also recommends council continue discussions with the proponent with respect to establishment of a mechanism which addresses the increased demand for local infrastructure as a result of the proposal. The outcomes of these discussions would be reported to Council separately for consideration, prior to any public exhibition of the planning proposal.”
But Hills Shire Mayor Michelle Byrne said council needed to “strike the right balance” when it comes to car parking in new developments around new Sydney Metro stations.
“In theory less carparking will force people to access the core of Norwest via the metro, however, a percentage of people will continue to drive,” she said. “If there isn’t enough parking, it will simply spill onto our surrounding streets causing difficulties for local residents. We need to get the carparking ratios right.”
Cr Byrne hit out over developers failing to consider traffic and congestion.
“ We accept that there will be some high density around our stations, however it can’t be open slather,” she said.
“All development needs to be well planned out, able to be supported by infrastructure and must create a quality lifestyle for residents in the hills. Future generations will not thank us if we get these decisions wrong.”
Liberal councillor Mike Thomas said a lack of parking for the proposal was “initially a concern”, however, urged NSW Government developer, Landcom, to consider increasing the heights and density for the proposal “due to its proximity to the rail corridor”.
“I think this development is undercooked, I was wrong when this development first came to us and we really need to reconsider this proposal,” he said. “We don’t remove development, we just move it somewhere else.
“It is preferred that major proposals, like this one, are contained within the Sydney Metro northwest rail corridor and out of our suburbs.”
Councillor Jacob Jackson said the challenge facing The Hills was “uncertainty around the future of Norwest Business Park”.
“This proposal shows us what is right for the future and I hope that this deferral will provide the information we need for the future,” he said.
While, councillor Peter Gangemi said the size and scale of the commercial proposal “hits the mark for the future of The Hills”.
“People in don’t usually support developments of this size and magnitude, but I say to them that this commercial proposal will bring jobs to The Hills.”
A Landcom spokesman revealed exclusively to the Hills Shire Times construction of the 25-storey tower was expected to commence within the next three to five years.
“Landcom’s vision is for an integrated, transit-oriented development in the heart of Norwest Business Park, creating a new town centre focused on Norwest Station,” the spokesman said. “The proposal supports a mix of uses, including commercial office space, local-serving retail such as cafes or restaurants, other uses to support local businesses such as potential short-term accommodation which could include a hotel or serviced apartments.”
He said the proposal will increase activity in the precinct surrounding the Sydney Metro Nortwest station both during the day and night.
The proposal also earmarked the creation of more than 2500 jobs at the site.
“The accessibility, convenience and quality of the proposed development will help attract employers, supporting the transition of Norwest Business Park into a mixed employment precinct,” the spokesman said. “One of the key visions for the Metro Northwest Places Program is to create places that allow for jobs close to home, creating thriving local centres and supporting strong local communities.”
Landcom also revealed other commercial sites were been considered with other Sydney Metro northwest precincts, including Bella Vista station.
The Landcom planning proposal has been deferred from being submitted to the NSW Planning Department for Gateway Determination.
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