Lendlease Moves Ahead with Contentious SW Sydney Plans

Multi-national construction and real estate giant Lendlease has moved a step further with contentious plans to deliver 3300 homes near Sydney’s biggest healthy koala population.

Lendlease’s 645ha housing development at Gilead, about 50km south-west of the centre of Sydney, is now seeking Commonwealth government approval for the project, which would include a town centre, school, public open space, conservation areas and several koala corridors.

Despite more than 600 submissions over Lendlease’s plans to rezone half the site for urban development, Campbelltown City Council voted 11-1 in April to send the proposal to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment for final approval.

The project’s draft preliminary documentation is now on public exhibition, again, as part of an assessment under the Federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

The proposed development—known as Gilead Stage Two—is next to Lendlease’s 1700-home masterplanned community, Figtree Hill, now under construction.

Lendlease says the combined 5000 homes to be delivered over the next 10 to 15 years will make up 15 per cent of Campbelltown’s forecast housing needs as described in the council’s Local Housing Strategy.

Campbelltown’s strategic planning statement indicates about 40,000 additional homes will be needed for a population estimated at 275,000 by 2036.

The site—alongside Appin Road between the Georges and Nepean rivers—is within the Greater Macarthur Growth Area, which was declared such in 2018.

The Lendlease plans call for the land to be rezoned from RU2 rural landscape to urban development zone (UDZ), C2 environmental conservation and SP2 infrastructure zone.  In total, documents show, about 49 per cent of the land would be given over to conservation.

▲ An indicative image of what some of the proposed 3300 homes might look like.

However, as early as April 2020, the Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer said: “Few dense urban new developments in Australia have successfully, over the long term, avoided declining koala populations in the context of rapid growth in urban infrastructure, homes, and the threats that arise from thousands of human residents.” 

In December last year, the Environment and Heritage Group (EHG), which is part of the NSW Department of Planning and Environment criticised the proposal for being “inconsistent” with the chief scientist’s recommendations regarding Campbelltown’s koala population.

In an internal letter, the group’s director of biodiversity and conservation, Louisa Clark, said insufficient information had been provided to inform the proposal and the indicative structure plan. 

“In summary, EHG considers that the proposal is inconsistent with advice and recommendations contained in the Office of Chief Scientist and Engineer,” Clark wrote.

“Insufficient information has been provided to support the proposed zone boundaries and structure plan including the extent of the proposed urban development zone and land proposed for certification, and the clearing of 53.5ha of native vegetation and threatened species habitat which includes critically endangered and endangered ecological communities.”

Lendlease says once rezoned, the conservation areas will contribute to Campbelltown’s first protected east-west koala corridors between the two rivers, as identified and mapped by the NSW government.

▲ The developer is proposing walking tracks throughout the undeveloped areas.

Lendlease’s head of NSW communities, Brendan O’Brien, said the Gilead development would help address a critical shortage of new homes while delivering urgently needed conservation measures for the local koala population.

“Our vision for Gilead is that it becomes an exemplar of sustainable urban development and strategic land use for conservation,” O’Brien said.  “We’re committed to having a positive impact on biodiversity and nature, with plans to increase core koala habitat by 70ha—30 per cent more than what’s there today.

“Our plan to regenerate habitat is underpinned by the strategic goal of connecting the two rivers for the first time in decades and repairing environmental damage of past land clearing practices.

“The Commonwealth environmental assessment provides a rigorous and independent process for assessment and transparency, and an opportunity for the community to get involved and learn more about our project.”

In March this year multibillion-dollar investment fund Australian Ethical announced it had sold its $11-million stake in Lendlease after discussions with the developer over the Gilead housing development broke down.

The investment fund was petitioning the developer to provide detailed maps of koala corridors on the site.

In response, Lendlease said its plans, which had been shared with Australian Ethical, fully adhere to the independent and expert recommendations of the NSW chief scientist.