In an ideal world, Macarthur Heights would be the perfect suburb.
The homes, almost 1,000 of them, are built on rolling green hills located adjacent to Western Sydney University and Campbelltown TAFE college.
Macarthur Square and the railway station are nearby and the views east and west are priceless.
There are just two ways in and out of this housing estate because there’s the railway line in the east and the Hume Highway in the west, meaning there’s little, if any, through traffic.
To get to work every day, hundreds of residents drive their cars to a commuter carpark at Goldsmith Avenue and walk, via a pedestrian bridge, to Macarthur railway station to catch a train to the city.
Sounds like a location to kill for, right?
Maybe, but Cara Pring, who lives with her family at Macarthur Heights, is so worried about the impact of the construction of 1,2500 apartments along Goldsmith Avenue – where the commuter carpark is currently located – she is seriously considering packing up and moving somewhere else.
And it’s not just because Macarthur Heights residents are about to lose access to the pedestrian walkway to the station and Macarthur Square – and the commuter carpark.
That’s just the last straw for Ms Pring, who says Landcom promised a lot of nice sounding facilities when they sold families the land, but has delivered very little.
“The issue we have is that they sold us our land based on the proximity to public transport and shops,’’ she says.
“If we have to drive over to the other side of the station it will add another 10 minutes to our long commute.
“It’s actually faster to drive all the way to Campbelltown station.
“That’s likely to get even worse once those apartments are built and the population of our estate essentially doubles overnight, with no additional traffic management measures or access.
“It’s already a nightmare trying to leave our estate, so things are going to get untenable, and yet they are about to force us all to add to that traffic by not providing a place for us to park to access the one amenity we actually have in that development,’’ Ms Pring said.
In response, Landcom says it “understands the community’s concerns around maintaining pedestrian access throughout construction’’. As for the commuter carpark, that was always going to be a temporary.
“As part of the tender, the contractor will be required to maintain pedestrian access. When access cannot be maintained, a shuttle bus will be provided to ensure continued connectivity,’’ the Landcom spokesperson told the South West Voice.
“The project is currently out to tender with work expected to start later this year.
“Landcom will continue to update the community as the project progresses.’’
The spokesperson confirmed that Macarthur Gardens North will deliver around 1,250 apartments centered around Macarthur railway station, Macarthur Square and close to TAFE and Western Sydney University’s Campbelltown and Macarthur campuses.
“We are in an unprecedented housing and rental crisis and Landcom’s focus is on delivering more well-designed, well located homes, in well built communities for the future,’’ the spokesperson said.
“The project will accommodate the changing needs and demographics of the Macarthur region while also providing opportunity for people to buy their own home.
“Importantly, at least 10 percent of the apartments will be set aside for affordable rental housing, providing housing security for low and middle income households.’’
Ms Pring, Campbelltown born and bred, said she and her husband chose to live in Macarthur Heights for several reasons, such as the proximity to the station and Macarthur Square.
“I also wanted to stay close to the area I grew up, and another reason was my sister had already bought a house in the state,’’ Ms Pring said.
“It’s ironic that we moved here instead of Camden to be near public transport and now they’re taking that away from us.
“If you drive through Camden for example, and see what they get there, the playgrounds with toilets and shade and how nice it is, and the importance they place on amenities, you do feel very shafted being here,’’ says the mother of two young children.
Ms Pring says the residents, who come together under the Macarthur Heights Public Access Action Group, are also concerned about the impact on people with disability who currently use the walkway bridge to the station and the retail facilities.
“Residents feel very hard done by – when MP Greg Warren brought his mobile office here a lot of people came to that.
“They were very emotional, upset about it, and there were a lot of people with stories such as having a son who can’t drive, they have a disability and they rely on this to get access, and if it’s gone they may lose their job.
“There was another person with a son with a disability who went to Macarthur Square every day as their outing who will also be affected,’’ she says.
“I have written letters of concern about our plight to Landcom, the Department of Transport, the Department of Planning and local council, but the responses have been anything but encouraging.’’
Ms Pring said when the estate, which was approved without plans for a primary school or bus services, was being marketed by Landcom, it was described as a place that would boast a walking trail to the Mt Annan botanic gardens, a lake and a community sports centre of excellence.
“They sold us our land and now we won’t even be able to drive to the carpark and walk to the station,’’ says Mr Pring.
“We’ve got no buses, no train access, no schools, none of the amenities promised.
“It has a lot to do with the fact that we are Campbelltown – we’re treated as sub par citizens.’’
