Milperra campus: Canterbury-Bankstown councillors call for new high school

As the demise of the Western Sydney University Milperra campus looms, calls are building for the Education Minister to stand by her support for a new high school if the site is demolished.

NSW Education Minister Prue Car has previously said a new high school must be included in "any new development" of the WSU Milperra Campus.

As the demise of the Western Sydney University Milperra campus looms, a south west Sydney councillor has called on the NSW Education Minister to stand by her statement to build a new high school if the site is demolished.

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.

Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Charbel Abouraad will propose a motion at tonight’s meeting for council to write the Education Minister Prue Car to follow through on her previous support for a secondary school on the former campus.

In a 2020 Facebook post Ms Car said: “Any new development on the Western Sydney University campus at Milperra must include a new high school. Time to get it right for once.”

Cr Abouraad said it was “time for the Education Minister to follow through on her statement”.

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

The proposed Mirvac development will include over 400 houses.

“We have one last chance to establish a new state of the art high school without having to acquire residential, open space or commercial land and this opportunity should not be lost,” he said.

“This council has already recognised the importance of this site and the potential for it to

continue to deliver much needed educational facilities to the community.”

The residential plans to replace WSU have been slammed by Canterbury-Bankstown council.

This comes after a draft planning agreement for the Milperra campus was on exhibition and a planning report recommended for council to be nominated as the acquisition authority for the public recreation and draining zoned land on the site.

Former Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour has previously spoken out against the demolition and said council did not have any role in the closure of the Milperra campus.

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

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

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.”

Mirvac and NSW Education Minister Prue Carr have been contacted for comment.