Hills Shire Council approve plans for 181 homes on Derriwong Rd, Dural
Plans for 181 homes to be built around a rural public school in Sydney’s north have been given the greenlight by a local council.
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- NSW Planning Panel reject 181 homes on Derriwong Rd, Dural
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- Plans for three seniors housing developments, 1000 beds in Dural rejected
A LARGE-scale housing estate of more than 180 homes — one of the largest of its kind for Dural — has received its first tick of approval by the Hills Shire Council.
The multimillion-dollar proposal for Old Northern Rd and Derriwong Rd, Dural, was approved by councillors and forwarded to the NSW Government for gateway determination this week.
This was despite objections to the plans by The Hills local planning panel over concerns it would change the character of the rural suburb.
The proposal would see the rural land surrounding Dural Public School developed into a series of 600, 700, and 1000sq m residential lots for the first time.
Urbis planning consultant Clare Brown said the developer supported the council officer’s recommended approval of the development.
“The proposal also provides a new regional road reserve to enable the extension of Annangrove Rd,” Ms Brown said.
“This would provide traffic relief for Round Corner, which allows a strategic traffic program to improve access from growth areas to jobs and services.”
Hills Shire Mayor Michelle Byrne said it was important lots on the fringe of the development needed to be large, “to prevent urban sprawl and ensuring the development blends in with surrounding rural lots”.
“It is important that we protect our urban-rural fringe and ensure that the Hills continues to offer a rural lifestyle for those who want it going into the future,” she said.
“New Line Rd is in desperate need of being upgraded to cope with the current volumes of traffic let alone future traffic volumes generated by population growth and development.”
Early plans for the development included a proposal for an indoor Aquatic Centre, however, this has been replaced by plans for three basketball courts.
Councillors Byrne, Samuel Uno, Ryan Tracey, Jacob Jackson and Reena Jethi voted against the proposal. Councillors Brooke Collins, Robyn Preston, Frank De Masi, Mike Thomas, Tony Hay and Peter Gangemi voted in favour.
A neighbour to the site, who is also a farmer, did not wish to be named, but said he was unaware of a planning proposal being submitted for the site after its sale several years ago.
“I am not anti development, but there needs to be improvements to infrastructure before any development is approved,” he said.
“Public transport is still a major issue out here, sure we have the metro, but congestion chokes our regional roads and there is no remedy in sight.
“You need to build the foundations for the house to be stable, and in this case the foundation is infrastructure.”
The neighbour said he has always seen residential development creeping into Dural.
“I am one of the last surviving farms in the area because it is just not feasible,” he said.
“Small industry farming is dying in Dural, so I guess the way forward is larger blocks.
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