Logos, Council at Odds Over Western Sydney Sheds

Blacktown City Council has issues with Logos’ plans to build four warehouses in Western Sydney with a capital investment of $446 million.

The plans would add 128,565sq m of industrial floorspace and 6538sq m of office space to a site flanked by the Great Western Highway and the Western Motorway at Huntingwood.

Logos, with partners KKR and Mubadala Investment Company, picked up the majority of the 26.64ha site in late 2021 from Blacktown City Council and Amplitel Pty Ltd.

Despite this, Blacktown City Council made objections to the State Significant Development application citing a number of issues that needed fixing or further clarification.

This included parking setbacks and landscaping, a lack of fire tank screening which created an “eye-sore”, warehouse bulk, noise impacts due to the 24-hour operation, traffic issues, biodiversity, engineering requirements and drainage.

Logos also undertook significant consultation with Transport for NSW to facilitate an agreement for a “fourth leg” from a new intersection on the Great Western Highway to mitigate traffic concerns.

The industrial-heavyweight confirmed in the application that there were no known tenants at this stage for the Huntingwood development.

JLL Research recorded a ninth straight quarter of very strong rental growth across the country with the steepest rises in prime net face rents recorded in Sydney.

▲ Pace Architects designed the warehouses with a number of facade cladding options.

Logos Australia and New Zealand head of development Troy Bryant said they were confident in their ability to collaboratively find solutions to these issues.

“Blacktown City Council’s feedback is an important component of the public exhibition process, serving as a step in the ongoing design of the development,” Bryant said.

“This process is designed to ensure that the development aligns with local strategic objectives and maintains harmony with the existing built form context. 

“In our response to the submissions, we are addressing the council’s comments on the aforementioned matters and actively seeking solutions that achieve the desired outcomes for all stakeholders.”

According to marketing on the Hungtingwood Logistics Estate the development was expected to be completed in 2024.

“There is a critical undersupply of zoned and serviced land which is suitable to meet the needs of modern-day warehouse and logistics tenants,” the Urbis application report said.

“There were no other sites available which met the criteria established by Logos to deliver the project objectives.

“The proposed development is in the early stages of marketing for the site. 

“The facility has been designed to accommodate typical warehouse and distribution centre occupiers.”

The plans designed by Pace Architects included two single-level warehouse, one split tenancy warehouse and a mulit-level warehouse as well as 951 carparking spaces.

An existing telecommunications facility would have to be demolished and a replacement 40m monopole with six panel antennas would be built in its place.