Developers officially withdraw plans to rezone almost 1200ha of untouched land in Appin
The seismic transformation of one of NSW’s oldest towns has been dramatically halted, with three major property developers pulling plans which could’ve potentially delivered 12,000 homes.
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The seismic transformation of one of NSW’s oldest towns has been dramatically halted, with three major property developers officially withdrawing plans which had the potential to deliver almost 12,000 homes.
Property developers Walker Corporation, Mir Group and Ingham Property Group in 2014 lodged three separate plans to rezone a combined 1176ha of relatively untouched land in the rural village of Appin, near Campbelltown.
As of the 2016 census, there are less than 1000 houses in the suburb.
The bold proposal was set to be raised before a panel of planning experts on Thursday but it has been revealed by Wollondilly Mayor Matthew Deeth that all three developers had officially withdrawn the plans.
“I think this is a really good step,” Mr Deeth said. “The council welcomes the news that the developers have decided to take a breather.”
The decision to withdraw the rezoning requests, five years after officially lodging the plans, comes less than 24 hours after the Chronicle reported on concerns from community members.
Mr Deeth said the developers had indicated an interest in working with the state government and Wollondilly Council on ensuring the timely delivery of major infrastructure projects in and around Appin.
“(The withdrawal of plans) will allow more involvement from our community on issues important to them such as infrastructure, roads and biodiversity, particularly the koala habitat,” he said.
Wollondilly Council had previously indicated it would not support development in Appin until 2036.