By Megan Gorrey
A controversial proposal to build more than 300 apartments on the Georges River foreshore in Sydney’s south-west has been hamstrung by concerns the development would pose a risk to human life by making it harder for the region’s surging population to flee during a major flooding event.
Developer Mirvac is challenging the NSW government’s rejection of a planning proposal that would enable it to construct 319 waterfront apartments and 21 terrace homes, as well as restaurants and cafes, at its already-approved Georges Cove Marina at Moorebank.
An artist’s impression of the apartments that would be built alongside the Georges Cove Marina, approved in 2021.Credit:
The site near Newbridge Road is considered a high flood risk, which Liverpool Council identifies as land subject to a “high hydraulic hazard”, or where there are significant evacuation difficulties.
Liverpool’s Liberal Mayor Ned Mannoun said the waterfront apartment plan should be approved because it has widespread community support and “ticks every box”. “It’s gorgeous,” he said.
“It represents people’s ambition to have a higher quality of life, like the rest of the people in Sydney. This development’s not just for the people surrounding it, but for the whole area.”
Debate over the plan underscores the challenges Sydney faces as local and state governments seek to balance the need for more housing with the risks of flood-prone areas.
Under the proposal, Mirvac would be allowed to build apartments and terraces in the private recreation zone, and increase the maximum building height from 21 to 35 metres – up to seven or eight storeys.
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure rejected the proposal last July, prompting Mirvac to request a review of that decision.
The department referred the case to the Independent Planning Commission for advice in December.
In refusing the project, the department noted it sought to provide new and diverse housing; however, it said the plan was at odds with regional planning objectives as it would increase residential and commercial development in a high-flood-risk area with limited evacuation options.
Mirvac is developing a parcel of land beside the river, about 4 kilometres from Liverpool’s central business district.Credit: Independent Planning Commission
“While the development facilitated by the proposal can evacuate during flood events, this development may absorb capacity for future development within Moorebank East,” the department said. “It may also impact existing evacuation capacity for Chipping Norton residents.”
Documents lodged with the commission cited flood mapping by consultants BMT in 2020 that identified the site as “unsafe for people and vehicles” in the event of a one-in-20-year flood; a one-in-100-year flood; and a maximum probable flood (MPF) – the largest conceivable event – when water depths were forecast to reach 10 metres and all buildings were considered “vulnerable to failure”.
Liverpool Council said the proposal relied heavily on locating homes above the flood level, and it needed to ensure residents could escape without “further exacerbating evacuation difficulties that currently exist for established communities”.
Mirvac argued for a review of the department’s refusal because the complex would provide an “extremely attractive residential opportunity” and the blocks could be built to withstand floods.
Mirvac is developing a residential precinct near the Georges River in Moorebank.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
Mirvac also said the proposal relied on shelter-in-place or “vertical evacuation” as a last phase of flood evacuation, which would not affect residents fleeing nearby suburbs via the road network.
The department told the commission it maintained its opposition to the proposal. It said the NSW State Emergency Service did not support the evacuation strategy that could include residents sheltering in place, noting the site could be isolated for more than 24 hours in a major flood. It also warned that Moorebank East precinct’s limited evacuation capacity relied on future road upgrades.
“The intended development will absorb evacuation capability from surrounding residents, thus posing risk to human life,” the department said.
A regional planning panel approved plans for the Georges Cove Marina in 2021. It will include a private clubhouse, function centre, wet berth (mostly for small vessels) and 637 car spaces.
Mannoun said that adding apartments would unlock housing and recreational facilities in the city’s south-west, which was growing by 20,000 people a year and deserved “some good amenity”.
He thought there was little point considering an event on the scale of “Noah’s flood”.
“There’s nothing wrong with being cautious, but the reality is we’ll never build a city if we’re working on events that will happen once every thousands of years.”
Mirvac said it would continue to work through the commission’s assessment process.
“We’ve worked closely with council and other stakeholders over a number of years on the proposed marina development which would see the Georges River foreshore open to the public, with restaurants and open space for the broader community along with much-needed housing,” a spokeswoman said.
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