$110m revamp of Chullora Marketplace rejected by Sydney South Planning Panel
A $110m vision to transform a shopping centre into a residential and commercial hub with 330 units in Sydney’s southwest has been rejected due to environmental concerns and “poor site planning”.
The Express
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A $110m vision to transform a shopping centre into a residential and commercial hub with 330 units in Sydney’s southwest has been rejected due to environmental concerns and “poor site planning”.
Henroth Investments lodged plans for the first two of four stages to revamp Chullora Marketplace on 353-355 Waterloo Rd, Greenacre into a mixed-use development, including a piazza and childcare centre.
The proposal planned to “transform the current centre into a vibrant multi-use, people-focused, town centre” and deliver shop-top housing by redeveloping the southern end of the shopping mall.
Stage one of the plans featured a 130-place childcare centre and a 90 residential unit, up to six storeys, alongside the construction of a new road at 87 Norfolk Rd.
The second stage included plans for two, six storey buildings for 83 units, three levels of basement carparking, three retail tenancies, a communal plaza and park.
Henroth Investments commissions a biodiversity report which found the development would “not have a significant impact on any threatened species and populations” despite finding endangered species at the site.
Planners state three threatened fauna species, including the grey-headed flying fox, two threatened floral species including the downy wattle and the endangered ecological community of the Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest were found in the area.
The proposed site is located west of the Norfolk Reserve which is listed as an endangered ecological community.
Canterbury-Bankstown council stated the proposal “failed to confirm whether the development is likely to significantly affect threatened species or their habitats”.
Another concern raised the plan’s design quality principles as the building failed to have “good proportions and balanced composition” and was “inconsistent with the desired future streetscape character.”
The plans also failed to provide ground level apartments with the minimum private open space of 15sq 2 and master bedrooms with the minimum area of 10sq 2.
Canterbury-Bankstown council said their heritage adviser called for an archaeological assessment report as the land was the former Liebentritt Pottery site which produced clay products for the building industry.
“It is considered to be relatively rare in terms of its archaeological potential and is considered to have been representative of pottery manufacturing sites during the second half of the nineteenth century and twentieth century,” planners state.
Council said their decision to not support the plans was “in response to poor site planning”.
“As such, approval of this development would not be in the broader public interest,” council said.
The Sydney South Planning Panel ultimately rejected the plans for 13 reasons, including failing to satisfy design principles and adverse impacts to the area including increased traffic.
Henroth Investments have launched an appeal with the Land and Environment Court.
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