Milperra campus: Canterbury-Bankstown councillors slam suggestions it played role in closure of WSU site

Claims Canterbury-Bankstown councillors played a role in the closure of the WSU Milperra campus have been slammed, with one councillor saying the area is “screaming” for educational facilities.

Canterbury-Bankstown councillors have bristled at claims they played a role in the demise of Western Sydney University’s Milperra campus, with mayor Khal Asfour saying such “comments cannot go unchallenged”.

The Milperra campus closure was announced in 2017 due to a relocation to the Bankstown campus. The site is now proposed to be developed, in partnership with Mirvac, into 430 homes and a town centre.

At a recent council meeting, Mr Asfour denied claims by Liberal Minister Alister Henskens that Canterbury-Bankstown Council had been involved in the campus closure.

Mr Henskens was quoted in media reports claiming the council was involved in the closure of Milperra campus as it provided WSU land for the Bankstown campus after the NSW Government transferred the Milperra site to the university.

Mr Asfour spoke against the comments at a recent council meeting.

Artist impression for the proposed Mirvac development at the Milperra campus of WSU.

“Let’s be crystal clear, the council did not shut down or have any role to play in the closure of the Milperra campus,” he said.

“In fact, council rejected an application by Mirvac to develop the site which would see approximately 430 houses built; this was later overturned.”

Artist impression for the proposed Mirvac development at the Milperra campus of WSU.

Mr Asfour also said the council had made a submission to a parliamentary committee urging the government to retain the 20ha site for the community.

“Let’s be in no doubt, the real culprit here is the NSW Government and the losers have been the people of Milperra,” he said.

Cr Linda Downey said the campus “shouldn’t be bulldozed” as the area was “screaming” for more educational facilities.

“One of the reasons to keep it (Milperra campus]) is that it’s already there. It has the facilities and it’ll save the government thousands (of dollars) to save it.”

A WSU spokesman said the university, along with Mirvac, had worked collaboratively with council, government authorities, and the community to develop a proposal that can benefit residents with 35 per cent of the site retained for education and community use, including for the nearby Mount St Joseph Catholic College.

“The university worked with stakeholders to explore alternate educational offerings on the site,” he said.

“The redevelopment of the Milperra campus has enabled the development of our new $340 million high-rise Bankstown city campus, which opens this year and houses programs previously taught at Milperra.”

Mr Henskens’ office declined to comment. The planning proposal for the Milperra campus site remains under assessment.