Infrastructure Crisis Chokes 15,000-Home Plan at Appin

Precinct plans for up to 15,000 homes in south-western Sydney may stall well short of that, due to a years-long queue for infrastructure services.

The backlog means construction will be capped at 2499 homes for the project, now open for public exhibition, for the foreseeable future.

The 1378ha site has already been rezoned under the Appin (Part) Precinct.

A precinct structure and development control plan are now undergoing finalisation before Walker Corporation can begin development. It is open for comment until October 6.

Simultaneously, a 300ha rezoning for up to 3000 new homes in the region has also opened for public exhibition.

The new North Appin precinct at 245 Appin Road, 73km south of the centre of Sydney in the Greater Macarthur Growth Area, would also host a retail centre, a new primary school, sports fields and community spaces.

The proponents, former chicken aristocracy the Ingham Property Group, have owned and run the site as pastoral and poultry land since World War II.

Ingham chief executive Matthew Ramaley said the exhibition proposed a clear vision for the site. 

“The focus is practical delivery: quality homes at a variety of price points, a local retail centre that serves daily life, a new primary school and great open space, all stitched together by connected streets and better local road access,” he said.

Since exiting the chicken trade in 2013, the Ingham family has pivoted to developing its 900ha property portfolio across NSW, Queensland, and WA.

Projects include residential, industrial, commercial and retail developments, including the 850-lot Freemans Ridge residential precinct at Carnes Hill, 38km south-west of the Sydney CBD.

Infrastructure for the area is to be rolled out as the population grows, however, the NSW Government will cap development at 2499 homes until infrastructure is in place.

Land releases will be timed and staged as triggers for additional infrastructure funding are reached.

The Wollondilly Local Environmental Plan Amendment (Precincts—Western Parkland City) 2025 was gazetted on September 5, giving effect to the cap.

Planned communities in the nearby Wilton region are grappling with infrastructure challenges, including sewerage currently being trucked out as an interim solution.

▲ Developments in the nearby Wilton area have been plagued by issues with access to infrastructure.

Construction has been delayed for years on 12,000 lots at Wilton Green as builders and homeowners wait for Sydney Water connections.

An upgrade to the Bingara Gorge Water Recycling Plant is not expected to be completed until 2027.

Wollondilly Shire Mayor Matt Gould said the council “remains firm in its position that an infrastructure plan must be tied to any significant rezonings and calls on the state government to release the staging and sequencing of critical infrastructure to support the rezoning of North Appin”.

“Our position is that housing can only go ahead where there is the necessary infrastructure in place to support it,” Gould said.

The Appin (Part) Precinct proposal dedicates 470ha to conservation, with a specific focus on koala protection. Around a quarter of the Ingham site, or 60ha, would also be dedicated to a koala corridor and protected bushland.

In July, the NSW Government established the first stage of a new Warranmadhaa National Park to protect koalas, covering 962ha of land along the Georges River between Long Point and Appin. Future expansions are planned to grow it to 1830ha.

The NSW government also recently announced a halt to logging in 176,000ha of state forest, and proposed dedication of a Great Koala National Park on the Mid-North Coast, in response to modelling that suggests koalas will be extinct in NSW by 2050.