Lendlease has moved into the next phase to secure Commonwealth environmental approval on its new Gilead residential development in Campbelltown.
The project’s draft preliminary documentation went on public exhibition yesterday, as part of Gilead’s assessment and approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Lendlease says that subject to approvals the Gilead development will deliver 3,300 new homes, together with green open space, connected parklands, community and education facilities, and a local village shopping centre.
Gilead is the proposed second stage of Lendlease’s adjacent 1,700-home master planned community, Figtree Hill, currently under construction.
The Figtree Hill and Gilead sites are located 10 minutes from the Campbelltown town centre and its retail, education, medical and transport precincts.
The combined 5,000 homes delivered over the next 10 to 15 years will make up 15 per cent of Campbelltown’s forecast housing needs as described in Council’s Local Housing Strategy.
The Gilead site, which has been farmed for more than 100 years, is located alongside Appin Road, between the Georges and Nepean rivers.
“Our Gilead community in Campbelltown will help address a critical shortage of new homes just 10-minutes from the Campbelltown-Macarthur centre, while delivering urgently needed conservation measures for the local koala population,’’ says Brendan O’Brien, the head of NSW communities at Lendlease.
“We take great responsibility in creating communities for future generations, and our vision for Gilead is that it becomes an exemplar of sustainable urban development and strategic land use for conservation.
“We’re committed to having a positive impact on biodiversity and nature, with plans to increase core koala habitat by 70 hectares – 30 per cent more than what’s there today,’’ he said.
“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.”
Development at Gilead is subject to rezoning approval by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, with Lendlease proposing half the site to be rezoned for urban development, and half for environmental conservation.
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.
It will also ensure land on this site will be dedicated to conservation and protected in perpetuity.
Submitting the preliminary documentation for public exhibition is an important stage in securing relevant environmental approvals for Gilead.
The Commonwealth’s EPBC Act provides the legal framework to assess the project and ensure once completed, matters of national environmental significance will be maintained or improved.
Lendlease’s submission for assessment outlines that across the 644-hectare site, three hectares of high-quality koala habitat will be impacted to facilitate the delivery of the new community in the identified urban areas.
Importantly, significant areas of formerly cleared grazing land will be restored and regenerated to increase core koala habitat by 70 hectares over the span of the project, 30 per cent more than what’s there today.
All offset requirements will be met within the Gilead locality and every conservation measure proposed is fully funded by Lendlease and follows the advice of the NSW Chief Scientist’s independent panel of koala experts.
If approved, the community at completion will be surrounded by more than 280 hectares of land dedicated to conservation, an area larger than Sydney’s CBD.
The Gilead EPBC application is on public exhibition until September 1.
