HMC $72m Retail Bid Lands as Leppington Rezoning Finalised

Already on exhibition is a $72-million HMC supermarket-led centre beside Leppington Village [rendering at top], near the site of Aland’s refused $282-million retail, cinema and hotel scheme.

Aland is also advancing a $549-million residential precinct nearby, part of almost 80,000sq m of landholdings across two sites in the heart of Leppington.

Planning minister Paul Scully said Leppington had “sat in the too-hard basket for too long” as the state announced the final controls.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Prue Car said new homes would be delivered near schools, transport, jobs and services.

“This is about ensuring we match growth with infrastructure,” Car said.

The state is now developing an infrastructure staging plan with the Camden and Liverpool councils for road upgrades including Rickard Road, Ingleburn Road and Edmondson Avenue.

▲ A rendering of the Buchan-designed $72-million supermarket-led centre proposed beside Leppington Village in south-west Sydney.

The HMC application before the Camden Council covers 108 and 116 Ingleburn Road, near Leppington station and beside the Woolworths-anchored Leppington Village, which opened in 2023.

The proposal is linked to ASX-listed HMC Capital, whose real estate platform includes HomeCo Daily Needs REIT and convenience-based retail assets.

Buchan has designed a two-level centre with 22 tenancies, a 1500sq m supermarket, rooftop parking, 654 car spaces and 60 bicycle spaces.

Plans filed with the council include Aldi references, including an Aldi dock and trolley storage. HMC has been asked to confirm the intended supermarket anchor.

Most new works would happen on 116 Ingleburn Road. Works on 108 Ingleburn Road would be limited to roadworks and pedestrian crossings.

The proposal—on exhibition until July 15—also includes a skybridge over a new road, dam decommissioning, four tree removals, Manlius Avenue upgrades, a new local road through the centre, a roundabout at Manlius Avenue and Florist Road, and 19 business identification signs.

▲ The proposed centre includes 22 tenancies, a 1500sq m supermarket and rooftop parking, with renders showing Aldi branding.

The final Leppington controls lift maximum heights to between three and 30 storeys and allow floor space ratios from 1.2:1 to 5:1.

They also introduce a minimum 3 per cent affordable-housing requirement for residential development in perpetuity.

Aland’s refused scheme was proposed for 173-183 Rickard Road and included a six-storey hotel, four-storey shopping centre, cinema and 1394 car spaces.

The Land and Environment Court refusal turned on sewer infrastructure through land outside the developer’s ownership and the proposal’s response to the planned precinct structure.

Aland’s live residential proposal is at 156-166 Rickard Road. Its Residential Core Precinct comprises 1206 homes across nine buildings up to 25 storeys.

NSW planning material describes the broader state-significant precinct as 1500 apartments across 10 buildings, with affordable housing, retail, commercial floorspace and open space.

An Aland spokesperson told The Urban Developer its Leppington landholdings reflected confidence in the area.

Its acquisition of almost 80,000sq m across two sites was “a testimony to the potential of the area”, the spokesperson said.

They said Aland was committed to working with the community and all levels of government on a connected town centre with retail, commercial uses, open space and homes.

Leppington was first rezoned in 2013, when planning leaned more heavily toward business, industrial and commercial uses.

The new controls recast Leppington as a mixed-use strategic centre, but delivery still depends on infrastructure, servicing and separate approvals.

HMC’s current application is retail only. Council pre-lodgement notes show earlier plans for the Ingleburn Road site contemplated future shoptop housing envelopes.

Buchan’s design statement said the undercroft carpark had generous floor-to-floor heights, possible future mezzanine parking and structural capacity for upward expansion if market demand emerges.

HMC was contacted for comment.