GPT Reworks Rouse Hill Retail, Residential Precinct

Landlord and fund manager GPT Group wants to make further modifications to expansion plans it has for the Rouse Hill Town Centre in Sydney’s north-west.

GPT won development approval from the Sydney Central City Planning Panel (SCCPP) in November to expand the Rouse Hill Town Centre as well as construct four apartment buildings.

That approval allowed an additional 10,621sq m of retail floor space for four additional mini-major tenancies, specialty shops, food and drink outlets and some kiosks. Most are single storey, although there is approval for three storeys at the corner of Civic Way and Rouse Hill Drive.

The planning panel also agreed to 218 apartments—of one, two and three bedrooms—within four buildings, each of up to 12 storeys, plus two levels of basement parking for 267 vehicles.

Now, GPT has lodged various design changes to the approval, including to parking layouts, landscape works and retail works.

Known as Stage Two, and sitting on about 1.05ha of land, the development is part of the Rouse Hill Regional Centre’s Northern Precinct.

Construction costs for the overall development are estimated about $216 million, according to the property development monitor, BCI Central.

▲ GPT is looking for amendments to parking layouts, landscape and retail works.

The 120ha Rouse Hill site—about 40km north-west of Sydney’s CBD—was originally acquired by the NSW government in the 1980s after it identified a need to build a shopping complex in the fast-growing north-western region of Sydney.

The Rouse Hill Town Centre masterplan was approved in 2004 and since then has been developed into one of Australia’s biggest greenfield shopping centre developments.

The town centre’s first stage was opened in March 2008 and is a $470-million masterplanned urban development project serving as the regional centre for the area.

Rouse Hill has a population of just under 8000 but high demand and low supply is boosting growth. By some estimates the population could surge to 500,000 within the next 25 years.

A spokesperson for the Hills Shire Council said GPT’s requested amendments were under assessment and were expected to be determined around the end of this year.