Meriton’s controversial multi-building development for 263-281 Pennant Hills Road has received the tick of approval.
367 new residential units, a retail precinct, supermarket and a 75-place childcare centre – approved amended plans reveal a total transformation is on the way for the largest residential landholding in Carlingford.
The masterplanned community – to be known as The Carling – will consist of five residential buildings ranging from seven- to 18-storeys in height.
A total of 2000m2 of retail space will be provided across two of the buildings, along with approximately 592 car parking spaces.
“The proposed buildings will sit comfortably within their surroundings, setting a strong precedent for high quality, modern and attractive design within the locality,” planning documents said.
“Being located in a prominent position within the Carlingford Precinct, it will provide a landmark development that will provide a higher density transit-orientated development, with a centralised open space, providing for a mix of compatible residential and alternative uses.”
It comes after Sydney Central Planning Panel originally refused the proposal over traffic and overshadowing concerns in 2022.
Amended plans submitted to the Land and Environment Court by Meriton sought to address these concerns by reducing the total number of residential units from 629 to 367 and achieving compliance with the site’s floor space ratio control.
“Agreed design amendments have been made to improve the [development application’s] relationship to the site, its context and the future streetscape, redistributing building form and mass across the site to better relate to topography and to mitigate against overshadowing impacts,” The Land and Environment Court judgement said.
After a conciliation conference was arranged by the Land and Environment Court between Meriton and the City Parramatta, an agreement was finally reached to approve the amended plans.
The re-worked plan now divides the original proposed development at 263-281 Pennant Hills Road into two different stages.
It means the approved proposal will now only include the eastern portion of the site along Pennant Hills Road – known as stage one.
The remaining R4 zoned western portion of the site along Shirley Street and RE1 zoned portion of the site, to be known as stage two, will be subject to a future development application.
The approval comes after City of Parramatta entered into a Voluntary Planning Agreement with Meriton at the end of last year to deliver a range of community infrastructure through the development.
Under the agreement, Meriton will provide a library, community centre and open space for the local community, estimated to cost around $27.5 million.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.