Caterpillar site Holroyd, Kerry Stokes: Crescent St units proposal facing opposition
A $500 million plan by billionaire Kerry Stokes to build 1255 units on an industrial site has unleashed fury from a western Sydney council over several traffic and transport concerns.
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A $500 million plan by billionaire Kerry Stokes to build 1255 units onto an industrial site in Holroyd has unleashed more fury from Cumberland Council over claims it fails to address major traffic concerns at the Crescent St block.
The proposal includes transforming the former Caterpillar site into unit blocks - up to 28 storeys - just off the already-congested Woodville Rd and M4, and near Parramatta Rd. Health Infrastructure also plans to build an ambulance depot nearby, causing more concern about the heavy traffic in the area.
The site is owned by billionaire Mr Stokes’s company Australian Capital Equity (ACE), which used to operate Caterpillar machinery dealer company WesTrac there.
If approved, the complex would be the most densely populated part of Cumberland local government area outside the Merrylands CBD.
The plans have raised the council’s ire since 2014 when a staggering 1900 units were initially proposed.
Councillor Greg Cummings last week slammed the developer for failing to provide the council with the social and traffic evaluations for the project.
The council’s environment and planning director, Daniel Cavallo, said ACE provided a traffic assessment to the government via Transport for NSW, but not the council.
There is no requirement for the developer to provide these reports to the council.
But Cr Cummings quoted a passage from the government’s Sydney Central City Planning Panel — which has authority on the site — that stated it was “unsatisfied” ACE adequately consulted the RMS.
“The panel notes that, at present, there is a significant difference between the views of the proponent and the views of the RMS, so wouldn’t you think it would be logical that we should see this so we can understand the difference in the views?,’’ Cr Cummings said.
“But yet, we get no information on what the RMS really thinks should happen there.
“All these issues that need to be thrashed out before this council can reasonably make a decision.’’
Read more: Council’s pushback for Crescent St complex
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A Planning Department spokeswoman confirmed the conflicting view between the RMS and ACE “and recommends further consultation between the two parties to enable the differences to be resolved”.
Panel documents underlined more concerns it has with the proposal.
“The panel also notes council’s high level of concern regarding traffic, noting that both Woodville Rd and Crescent St experience significant traffic congestion, as well as being hostile pedestrian environments.
“The panel observes that the proponent’s submission is potentially misleading regarding the accessibility of the site to public transport considering the isolated nature of the site, it being surrounded by busy roads, and with a locally impermeable road structure.’’
The panel also called for the developers to install a pedestrian bridge over Woodville Rd so residents could reach Granville station.
An ACE spokesman hit back at the council over the claims of lack of consultation.
“We have tried to meet with council a number of times, both 2019 and most recently April 2020,’’ the spokesman said.
“We requested meeting with senior council personnel to brief them on the project and then brief councillors – this has been ignored.’’
The spokesman said ACE had provided the council with reports and the Woodville Rd, Parramatta Rd and Church St intersection was subject to a $30 million RMS improvement program.
“Both our traffic engineer and RMS traffic engineer agree that if the RMS works are completed, along with the works that are proposed for our development, that the intersections would operate below but near their theoretical capacity with and without the proposed development respectively,’’ he said.
ACE bypassed the council during amalgamations in 2016 when a lapse by the former Holroyd Council allowed it to seek authority for the development with the State Government’s panel.
At its meeting last week, the council deferred voting on whether it should proceed to the Planning Department.
Instead, it unanimously voted to write to State Planning Minister Rob Stokes about concerns before discussing it next month.
The developer must meet conditions before plans advance to the public exhibition phase.