Meriton Scales Up Plans for Towers at Carlingford

Meriton wants to add nearly 200 apartments to plans for a site in Sydney’s north-west by increasing the building heights from 33m to 110 metres. 

Planned is at least 647 apartments across six buildings of up to 29 storeys on the 2.8ha site at 263-281 Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford.

However, the site has quite a history of rejections, prompting Meriton to team with the City of Parramatta Council to get its latest planning changes approved.

In 2012 the Sydney West Joint Regional Planning Panel approved 450 homes for the site when it was part of the Hills Shire Local Government Area. 

Meriton snapped up the site for $68.5 million in January, 2021 from receivers acting on behalf of lenders of Western Sydney developer Dyldam.

In early 2022 plans for 620 homes across six 10 to 12-storey buildings plus a supermarket and childcare centre were submitted.

These plans were rejected by the Sydney Central Planning Panel in December, 2022.

Meriton and the City of Parramatta Council endorsed a draft plan for the site in December, 2023 and proposed changes to planning controls for the site, which went on exhibition in March this year.

▲ A reference design for the Meriton development at Carlingford, which is the subject of proposed changes to planning controls.

The plans show six apartment buildings and a central park along with 2600sq m for retail, hospitality and indoor recreation.

There would also be a 2500sq m community hub with a library to be resourced by the council using funding from the monetary contribution from the development.

Carlingford ranked 9th in the top performing suburbs in greater Sydney with home prices up 14.3 per cent to a median of $1.7 million in CoreLogic’s index to January, 2024.

At the time of the purchase of the site in 2021, Meriton managing director Harry Triguboff said they wanted to build 700 apartments.

“It’s taken me somewhat by surprise—we have sold more than 100 apartments already this year, and momentum seems to be getting stronger with all buyer types active, so this acquisition makes perfect sense,” Triguboff said.

“Mixed-use developments have been very successful for us recently, and we plan on continuing the trend by incorporating a supermarket, restaurants, cafes, childcare centres and more into the new plans.”

Less than a kilometre away, testing was recently completed on the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 between Carlingford and Camellia. 

And at Camellia, a consortium of land holders are hoping to build a precinct with a beach on the Parramatta River.