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Oran Park in Sydney’s south-west is attracting considerable residential development, now a major entertainment industry precinct could be added to the mix.
Plans have been filed with Camden Council for what has been described as a world-class production studio for film and television, domestically and internationally.
Greenfields Development Company, the Oran Park development group led by billionaire dairy farmers Tony Perich and brother Ron, are behind the scheme.
The Periches own the Leppington Pastoral Company, which was founded by Kolombo and Julia Perich in 1951 as a small farm with 25 milking cows. The dairy empire now boasts 2000 cows and is one of the largest dairy facilities in Australia.
True to its name, Greenfields wants to redevelop a 3ha vacant site in the Tranche 22 Employment Area, east of The Northern Road, which has been earmarked for industrial and employment opportunities.
Designed by Nettleton Tribe, the studio development would have three production soundstages for filming, onsite workshops for set construction, office areas and multi-deck carparking.
The site, zoned for general industrial, is in the South West Growth Centre, close to the Oran Park Town development.
A residential project by Greenfields in the region has delivered more than 4000 homes, according the development application to Camden Council made by Urban Co.
Greenfields said “the landmark project aims to expand Sydney’s screen production capacity, create jobs, and address a critical shortage of studio space, helping NSW remain a competitive destination for both international and local film projects”.
The first development stage for the site, which is between Porter Street, Southwell Road and Flood Street, has an estimated cost of around $32 million.
In total, the development has an estimated cost of about $127 million, according to the five development applications submitted for the site.
The first stage includes the development of a helipad area and other infrastructure works, including internal roads, security gatehouses and checkpoint facilities.
To operate 24 hours, seven days a week, the studios would be capable of hosting large audiences.
Peak use would be during the filming of TV shows before live audiences, the application said. It predicted this would take place for about eight weeks a year.
Australia’s film and television industries have punched above their weight internationally, especially during the pandemic, earning the nickname “Aussiewood”.
A plethora of Hollywood productions, including George Miller’s Furiosa, Taika Waititi-directed Marvel movie Thor: Love and Thunder, and the Elvis biopic, were filmed here during that time.
Developers have been lining up movie-related real estate across the country in the wake of the surge.
On the Gold Coast, Shadowbox Studios has been earmarked as the preferred developer for a 22ha production facility with 10 sound stages at Yatala, while plans are moving ahead, albeit slowly, for a $440-million studios announced in 2021 for Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid north coast.
