Gledswood Hills: $147m plan for units, shops, cinema, supermarket approved after sparking mixed reaction from residents

Plans to build a multi-storey entertainment and residential precinct in a rapidly growing region of Sydney have been approved, but not all locals are happy with the outcome.

Plans to build a $147m entertainment and residential precinct in a rapidly growing region of Sydney’s southwest have been approved despite sparking mixed opinions among local residents and a debate over whether the project may impact local property prices.

A large development site opposite the Gledswood Hills Primary School is one step closer to being turned into a cinema, shops and 331 apartments after the Sydney Western City Planning Panel approved the proposal.

The development will have nine separate buildings up to five storeys tall and will also feature a gym, a supermarket, an 80-place childcare centre, food and drink outlets, retail tenancies and public landscaping works.

The release of plans sparked mixed opinions among residents, with objectors raising concerns over the height and scale of the development and increased traffic which some claim may impact the safety of pedestrians and schoolchildren.

The potential for “increased crime”, rubbish and “devaluation of property prices” were other concerns raised during public feedback.

A concept photo of the development.

However, not all residents were opposed, with local homeowner Benita James telling a planning panel meeting she hoped the plans would “increase property prices” by providing new entertainment and retail offerings in the area.

Dhanush Naidu said there was also a need for more retail space in the area due to current shortage, resulting in residents having to travel out of the suburb to access shops.

More than 100 people made submissions relating to the proposal.

The project, planned by United Developments, has been in the works for more than a decade and follows a string of new residential developments in Gledswood Hills after land in the area was rezoned in 2007 to provide for up to 4000 new homes.

Plans stated the project would “deliver more diverse housing and increased supply to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding population”.

“Critically, there is a need for more diverse housing options and increased housing supply to meet the needs of the growing population and address the growing housing crisis,” the plans stated.

“It will also help address the forecast under supply of commercial and retail floorspace in the region (that is) required to deliver a successful and sustainable precinct.”

The development will span nine separate buildings.

The planning panel – in its approval of the project development – stated the concerns raised by residents had been “comprehensively addressed” during planning stages.

“The development will deliver a high quality shopping centre for the Gledswood Hills community and provide essential housing for the groin population of western Sydney,” the panel stated.

Modelling shows the population of the Camden area is expected to increase rapidly over the next two decades with annual growth of 3 per cent - three times higher than the 1 per cent Sydney-wide average.

Plans stated there was also a “shift in demand” towards medium- and higher-density housing in Sydney’s greenfield areas, driven by affordability constraints and preferences for more maintenance-friendly homes.