Epping: $181.5M mega school, church, aged care complex gets green light
A controversial multimillion-dollar mega complex featuring a school, aged care and church in Sydney’s northwest has been given the green light despite community backlash over evacuation plans.
Northern District Times
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A controversial multimillion-dollar mega complex featuring a school, aged care centre and church in Sydney’s northwest has been given the green light despite no detailed evacuation plans.
The Sydney Central Planning Panel has approved the $181.5 million mixed-use development on Epping’s Oxford and Cambridge streets.
It comes after Northern District Times revealed last week public concerns over having an aged care and school built in the mega complex in light of the coronavirus crisis.
Plans for the 29-storey mixed-use development were submitted by Stockland Development comprising a 132-bed residential care facility, 205 independent senior living units.
It would mean additions to the heritage church building including four presbytery units, a multi-level hall and administration building.
It would also see a multilevel primary school building, childcare and more than 300 basement car park spaces.
A key point of contention raised at a public meeting held days before the determination was the lack of detailed evacuation plans with some raising concerns of how seniors in a 29-storey tower would be able to safely evacuate.
Yet the planning panel unanimously, among its five members, approved the Epping complex this week saying it was in the “public interest.”
“Evacuation requirements have been considered and addressed through the provisions of dedicated firefighter lifts however a detailed evacuation management plan is still yet to be provided,” according to the panel’s determination.
Epping Civic Trust vice president Mike Moffatt said it was “unbelievable” that the planning panel approved the site without the evacuation plans.
“They had no completed evacuation procedure worked out, only in a draft form… but it was approved without such a plan,” he told The Northern District Times.
“We are very worried about evacuation in the event of emergencies.
“I don’t understand why the planning panel should go ahead and approve this without considering a detailed evacuation plan.”
A Stockland spokesman said they provided a draft fire evacuation plan as part of their application which met Council requirements.
“Given the very early stage of the process we do not have additional information, however the plans for the building include full sprinkler service, additional smoke ventilation and passenger lifts that become dedicated fire lifts if needed. The building will exceed regulatory fire safety requirements,” a Stockland spokesman told The Northern District Times.
Mr Moffatt condemned the mega complex going ahead saying it was “not good aged care practice” putting aged care residents and seniors in a 29-storey high building.
He also worried the approval of the tower would set a precedence in Epping.
Under the Hornsby Local Environmental Plan, the maximum height is 72m and the proposed height of one of the towers is 96.5m which is a 34 per cent breach.
“This building would be the highest building in Epping and we are worried about precedence,” Mr Moffatt said.
In the panel’s decision they noted the heritage impact was assessed saying the design of the site “sympathetically responded” to heritage features.
While some community members claimed the high towers would result in reduced sunlight and outdoor spaces and neighbouring properties, the panel said the design “minimised” adverse impacts of solar access.
It is understood Council made the decision not to publish the fire evacuation plan that was submitted as part of the application for security reasons.
Parramatta Council has been approached for comment yet was not able to provide a statement before publication.