Pendle Hill parking problem to get worse after units at Civic Ave set to spring up

Three sprawling unit blocks in the centre of Pendle Hill have underlined the suburb’s parking problems.

The Huntley at Pendle Hill will be built alongside the railway line.

• Bank deserts Pendle Hill
• Carpark sidelined
• More shops come with a bond

The demolition of a club to make way for a massive six-storey unit complex has wiped out any plans to expand commuter parking or quell traffic concerns as the suburb braces for the population to explode.

The Pendle Sports Club, which has been unoccupied for almost 10 years, has been bulldozed as construction starts on Dyldam’s 66-apartment development, the Huntley, at 14 Civic Ave.

The street is already home to a 60-unit block, Civic Park Apartments. Opposite it on Civic Ave and Billabong St, 30 units are under construction.

The works on the Huntley have cast doubts on plans to expand the commuter carpark at Civic Ave into the former Pendle Hill Scout Group site.

Cumberland Council general manager Hamish McNulty said the hall was demolished because it was dilapidated, not for the apartment develoment, and its future was to be determined.

Cumberland Council and the State Government had plans to build a 130-space commuter carpark over the existing one near Civic Park but reached a stalemate after the council opposed a multi-deck lot because it would block park views.

Transport for NSW rejected the council’s request for more analysis into commuter parking after it said it did not want to provide the government with a 99-year lease of carpark land.

The Huntley will be built over the former scout hall, despite artist’s impressions showing otherwise.

However, councillors including Lisa Lake suggested building the carpark at the dilapidated scout hall or to convert the commuter carpark opposite Wentworthville station into a multi-level lot for Wentworthville, Pendle Hill and Pemulwuy motorists.

The second multi-storey block at Civic Ave.

Cr Lake said there was still a demand for parking.

“Any development along the railway is going to impact parking and it’s no different to what’s happening at Wentworthville,’’ she said.

“Of course there’s going to be more cars.”

She said it could not be assumed everyone who lived along rail corridors caught the train everywhere, with families often needing more than one car.

Councillor Lisa Lake the scout hall in March before its demolition. Picture: Angelo Velardo)

Now you see it: the Sports Club (formerly Cumberland Catholic Club) in July.

Now you don’t: Dyldam units will replace the club site.

“People don’t live like that,’’ she said.

“They just don’t travel along the railway lines. I have no doubt it will increase parking demands.”

IN OTHER NEWS