Carlingford high-rise homes come under fire as a dormitory

Two more major apartment complexes worth more than $70m are proposed for a densely populated suburb in Sydney’s northwest, which a veteran community leader savaged as being bereft of jobs.

A 12-storey unit block will have a childcare centre on the ground floor, subject to approval.

Two apartment complexes planned for Shirley and Thallon streets at Carlingford will only add to it being a high-rise “dormitory” with a light rail line that “stops dead” without jobs or infrastructure.

That was the scathing assessment from independent Parramatta councillor Lorraine Wearne who criticised multistorey developments which are planned less than five minutes from the Carlingford stop on the light rail line, due to open in 2024.

“The light rail doesn’t solve anything — it stops dead in Carlingford,’’ she said. “What the hell is there in Carlingford? There isn’t an industrial area or where people can get jobs. They turned it into a big dormitory.

“There isn’t anything to back up the densification of Carlingford except purported transport links.’’

Councillor Lorraine Wearne blasted the government for turning Carlingford into a dormitory.

Cr Wearne, who has lived in the Epping area for more than 50 years and represented the ward that covers Carlingford for 27 years, said the government “let people down badly” when it axed the Parramatta to Chatswood line almost 20 years ago.

While the Parramatta light rail will ferry commuters to Parramatta, Cr Wearne said the government failed to give residents choices.

“We love people to come to Parramatta for work but what about people having choices — and they have not provided the guaranteed infrastructure that allows people choices,’’ she said.

At 11-17 Shirley St, four detached houses are slated to be demolished for a $41m residential tower and childcare centre.

A development application for a 12-storey apartment block and 76-place childcare centre has been lodged with Parramatta Council, which will forward the proposal to the Sydney Central City Planning Panel for final determination because it is worth more than $30m.

The building will house 87 units, a three-level, 139-space basement carpark and will be surrounded by high-rise dwellings.

More than 90 units are planned for 9-11 Thallon St Carlingford.

The mixed-use tower also proposes a restaurant.

A total of 43 apartments will have three bedrooms, 41 will have two bedrooms, two will have one bedroom and one will have four bedrooms.

The proposal is deemed appropriate because it is part of an “urban renewal” area under the Greater Parramatta to Olympic Peninsula precinct and is undergoing “significant transformation from low density to high density”.

Surrounding the site are unit blocks up to 21 storeys.

A Dickson Rothschild-prepared report states the “high-quality” project warranted approval for the council as the site was ideally located and had negligent traffic impacts on Pennant Hills Rd.

Elsewhere in Carlingford, at 9-11 Thallon St 1.5km away, another 12-storey mixed-use building worth $39m is also in the pipeline.

A total of 91 apartments above a shop and restaurant on the ground floor, and a basement carpark for 134 vehicles, are also planned where three-storey units now sit.

There will be 43 two-bedroom units, 37 three-bedroom apartments and 11 four-bedroom units.

“The building is located on a strategic site in very close proximity of the new light rail station and within proximity of significant buildings within the core of the Carlingford precinct,’’ a report to the council states.

The restaurant or cafe will take up almost 230sq m.

“The restaurant and small retail shop shall benefit the local area,’’ the report said.

But Cr Wearne disagreed with restaurants and childcare centres as an excuse to justify commercial development.

“Childcare centres are a ridiculous supposed commercial use in a residential area, most of which are inappropriate and not even needed,’’ she said.

Originally published as Carlingford high-rise homes come under fire as a dormitory