Western Sydney Airport metro: Narellan landowners stuck in limbo after ‘secretive’ rezoning

The extension of the Airport Metro through Sydney will likely claim more than 100 properties as documents reveal dozens of addresses listed for government acquisition.

NSW Government plans to extend the Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport line from Badgerys Creek to Leppington and Macarthur reveal 125 properties are facing the wrecking ball.

Thousands of NSW Planning and Transport documents, released to the public after requests from One Nation MLC Mark Latham, revealed the surface section of the North South Rail Line corridor between Oran Park and the Western Sydney Airport would impact a total of 66 properties.

A further 37 properties between Leppington and the Bringelly Junction would be acquired or impacted by the extension of the South West Rail Link.

These include businesses such as the Australian Koi Farm at 83 Jersey Rd, Sydney Watergardens Nursery at 909 Bringelly Rd and Market Gardens around Robinson Rd, Bringelly.

One property owner in the firing line, who did not wish to be named, said he had “never been contacted or visited by the NSW Government”, despite NSW Planning identifying his property for acquisition as early as 2018.

An Ethos Urban report to the NSW Cabinet says properties between Leppington, Western Sydney Airport and Oran Park were affected by the rail route.

Other sites in Oran Park, Narellan and Macarthur would be affected by the new station precincts as well as construction staging compounds.

Oran Park Town Centre is already spruiking government plans for a future rail site. Picture: Jake McCallum

In Oran Park, the government approached Greenfield Development Company, owned by Tony Perich, to retain land for the future development of the Oran Park Station.

The station would be built adjacent to the Oran Park town centre at the corner of Oran Park Dr and Holden Dr.

Meanwhile, at Narellan, a total of 19 industrial and commercial properties would be directly impacted by the proposed Narellan Station — earmarked for a site west of the Narellan shopping centre at Campbell and Kirkham streets.

In July last year, residents were notified that their properties had been rezoned for Special Purpose Infrastructure — allowing the development of a train station — after being told that there was a “possible compulsory acquisition plan” for their properties in 2018 by phone and email.

The government report refers to Narellan’s station location as being within walking distance to the town centre with good access to transport and major roads.

The plans for the station site at Narellan meant the government was considering a “longer-term planning objective” for development proposed in the area.

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Landowner and former businessman David Funnell said he had been told “absolutely nothing” about the acquisition process, despite his land being rezoned as part of the government planning for the station precinct.

“We have no timeline for acquisition, there has been no independent evaluation of our property value and no consultation with landowners about our future,” he said.

“The whole process has been very secretive, landowners are being told nothing.”

Another Narellan landowner said the property earmarked for government acquisition was the birthright of he and his children.

“If the government want the land, considering they are going to sell it to a developer and profit more than $14,000 per sqm, they need to adequately compensate us for it,” he said. “We will not go down without a fight.”

Land has been rezoned for a metro station neighbouring the Narellan Town Centre.

Another said he was willing to destroy the land before allowing the government to buy his property for a “low-ball offer”.

“There has been no adequate consultation around the relocation of my business, no timeline for the project and no future or security for me at this site,” he said.

“We have become completely disillusioned because we were notified of a possible acquisition in 2018 and heard nothing since, only to discover our land had been rezoned from under our feet.”

A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the final corridors for the Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport, South West Rail extension of Western Sydney Freight Line were confirmed on June 30, 2020.

Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport.

“All impacted property owners have been notified,” the spokeswoman said. “Transport for NSW are still working through the cost to complete the future extensions of the Sydney Metro network.”

The department did not answer questions put to it regarding the consultation process behind property acquisitions, or the identification of Metro station sites along the extended line.

FULL LIST OF SUBURBS UNDER THREAT

Oran Park-Bringelly - 66 properties to be acquired

Leppington to Bringelly Junction - 37 properties to be acquired

Narellan - 19 properties to be acquired

Macarthur - 3 properties to be acquired (including Crown Land)