If everything goes according to plan, Queen Street eyesore Brands on Sale will soon make way for a futuristic urban village that will put Campbelltown on the map.
At least that is the vision developer ALAND has for the five acre site that adjoins heritage buildings such as The Barn.
ALAND has reimagined the location as a new kind of village with its own large park, community centre, neighbourhood shopping, an “eat street’’ as well as commercial space for business.
It proposes having 588 apartments across five buildings, with the tallest ones rising up to 15 storeys.
Most of the apartments would have two bedrooms (415), plus 97 with one bedroom and 46 with three.
The Development Application (DA) for the $400 million proposal is currently under assessment.
Pending approval, ALAND says it anticipates construction to commence in the third quarter of 2023 and with estimated completion two years later in the third quarter of 2025.
The DA includes more than 9,000sqm of retail and commercial space.
ALAND says negotiations with operators for this retail space are ongoing during this early phase of development, with a focus on securing an anchor tenant, such as a metro-style supermarket, 17 specialty retail offerings, and a childcare facility.
The company has also submitted an extensive traffic report as part of the DA submission which includes mitigation measures such as diluting car movements into the site across three different entrances.
“This development will provide quality, affordable homes for people to own and create a new ‘destination’ in Campbelltown where the public can enjoy the 9,000sqm of retail and commercial spaces, including an eat street connected by a 4,000sqm park that has extensive playgrounds and activated spaces for locals to enjoy,” says Ryan Lane, the head of development at ALAND.
“A priority for this development is that all residents can access high quality communal facilities including a significant amount of communal open space on all podium and tower rooftops.”
There will be multiple play areas for children of all ages, a bicycle loop, community amphitheatre seating with a stage area as well as a two-level community centre which will house an auditorium, kiosk, lift and several multi-purpose spaces.
Earlier concepts of the development have been scaled back to increase the useable communal footprint, which is a direct result of conversations with Campbelltown Council.
Mr Lane said council and community feedback has been critical in shaping how the project could meet both future housing demand while simultaneously improving liveability for the greater Campbelltown area.
The mayor of Campbelltown, George Greiss, has welcomed the latest design for the site.
“It’s great to see this development application has given consideration to our city centre master plan to achieve a people-focused place that’s innovative and connected to plenty of open space,’’ he said.
“Through considered design in prime locations such as this, we can realise our vision for a good life here in Campbelltown where our communities are inclusive, diverse and friendly,” said Mayor Greiss.
If this amount of families can be accommodated on this small area why keep destroying our scenic hills bush and farmland?
Please call a halt to development now.
It is important I feel to offer people a variety of residential options in the Macarthur area – units and new shopping precincts are welcomed however not everyone wants to live in units.
The Campbelltown area has beautiful parklands and bushland spaces which if done right can accommodate those looking to relocate to the area.
If we are to get rid of the stigma that surrounds Campbelltown as an area then diversity in residential types is a must as well as further development.
For too long areas such as Wedderburn, Kentlyn, scenic hills etc have been under appreciated and have opportunity for those seeking acreage/farm living to live out that dream whilst bringing with it a new generation to the area.
Therefore it is both inevitable and I believe a must for development to be done in these areas whereby not only their beauty can be enjoyed but also bringing up the area standard.
Whilst the existing development detracts from Campbelltown CBD, the scale of the proposed development seems too much for the site. However, with compromise, this would appear to be an opportunity for planners & the developer to work together in making one of the main entry points to the CBD something that makes people want to go to the city & would potentially attract employment based private & government decision makers consider Campbelltown as a destination for office relocations.
The Georges River Bushland Area is one such precious space where those with extra money can sprawl without too much sense of their limitations. These bush remnants, zoned for rural living, need a bold identity that real estate agents can pass on (ha!) to potential buyers. Their Bushland types need to be named, Weed eradication needs to be mentioned, help with understanding the care of bushland needs to be available and those with a fear of trees encouraged to park their trucks and build their Security fences in an already cleared area ie. most of the acreage available around western Sydney.
I love that young people with busy working lives want to live in apartment buildings like the one proposed, which will have its own life cycle and be replaced like the Brands on Sale building. By then it may be too late to value what can’t really be replaced.