NSW Government’s plans for 1900 homes at Castle Hill Showground
Plans to revolutionise a western Sydney suburb include twenty-storey towers and 1900 homes to surround this new northwest Sydney Metro station. Find out what else is being proposed as part of the development.
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The NSW Government has revealed multimillion-dollar plans to revolutionise the Castle Hill Showground Metro precinct, which would include nine residential and commercial buildings up to 20 storeys high.
The masterplanned development by government developer Landcom, revealed exclusively through the Hills Shire Times, would also include more than 13,000sq m of commercial and retail space, a new park, plaza and roads through the precinct.
A total of 1900 homes have been proposed as part of the redevelopment of the Metro precinct, which has been the centre of several multimillion-dollar proposals from private developers since the NSW Government announced the area would be a priority precinct.
In 2018, The Showground Corporation revealed an ambitious $3 billion vision for the development of 3600 apartments — including 720 homes for affordable housing, first-home buyers and service workers — as part of the showground masterplan.
The proposal featured 90,000sq m of residential space, as well as more than 7000sq m of public open space, 5000sq m of public sporting fields and community amenities funded by the Showground Corporation, as well as access to Showground Metro Station.
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However, the masterplan saw objections from The Hills Council, Joint Regional Planning Panel and, ultimately, the Independent Planning Commission in February.
The government proposal is expected to be delivered in stages and is on public exhibition.
Planning Department executive, Anthea Sargeant, said the Hills Showground Concept proposal would provide a mix of housing, including five per cent affordable housing, commercial developments and new public open space around the new Hills Showground Station.
“Community input is essential to help us make a thorough and rigorous assessment and ensure potential impacts are fully considered,” she said.
“Once the exhibition closes, the department will consider all community submissions received, along with feedback from other government agencies and councils.”
Showground Residents Matter Action Group spokesman, Paul Cook, said the government has one set of rules for their own proposals in comparison to private developers.
“Rather than seeking a positive planning outcome with reduced density in the Showground Corporation Plan the Independent Planning Commission simply blocked the proposal in February,” Mr Cook said.
“The proponent agreed to potentially reduce the density of the masterplanned proposal to 2643 homes in total, which was given initial support from The Hills Council.”
Mr Cook said the government wanted masterplanned communities surrounding Metro stations, but still rejected masterplanned proposals.
“We support masterplanned development but the government has a whole different game plan for themselves — they have no setbacks, while they apply rigorous restrictions on residents and private developers,” he said.
“They are not providing the opportunity for viable development plans.”