Mirvac Lodges Appeal over Sydney Seniors Living Plans

Publicly listed property developer Mirvac has filed amended plans for its seniors living project north-west of Sydney, lowering building heights, increasing separation and communal open space, and cutting 15 units from the proposal.

The amendments come at the same time as Mirvac has appealed to the New South Wales Land Environment Council, arguing Parramatta City Council has taken too long to consider its original $144-million proposal, which will be part of the 90-year-old Oatlands Golf Club.

Plans filed nine months ago called for 141 independent living units and 14 townhouses in seven buildings on the 1.6ha site at 94 Bettington Road, Oatlands. The buildings ranged from three to eight storeys.

However, in documents lodged with Parramatta early last month, Mirvac is now seeking to lower the main building by one level to seven storeys, remove a single townhouse and 14 apartments, and lower carparking in two basement levels by 35 spaces to 399.

A new club house for the golf course—23km north-west of Sydney’s centre—remains part of the proposal.

Some balconies are to be removed to reduce building footprints and increase separation within the development.

Town planners Hamptons Property Services, which lodged documents on behalf of Mirvac, said the new apartment configuration would include 18 single-bedroom, 96 two-bedroom and 13 three-bedroom independent living units. There would be 13 townhouses.

Amendments to building separation meant there was now 4706sq m of communal open space along the ground plane.

Hamptons said the amended development application was intended to address a number of concerns raised by the public in written and oral submissions, “particularly with respect to the scale of the proposed development and its interface and impact on adjoining properties”.

▲ Under the amended plans Mirvac will remove a single townhouse and 14 apartments.

Hamptons said the new plans came after a public exhibition and community session in January, a determination meeting with the Sydney Central City Planning Panel in May and various meetings with Parramatta council in June and July.

Parramatta city councillor Kellie Darley said there were two streams happening within the planning process.

“The Sydney central planning panel deferred the issue for four weeks to give Mirvac time to submit the amended plans,” Darley told The Urban Developer.

“It took them a lot longer, so it’s only now the amendments have gone on public exhibition again, and that’s just closed.

“The council will do another assessment based on the amended plans and then provide a report back to the planning panel.”

Darley said there was “a gap” between the council’s position on the proposal and what Mirvac was offering.

“In the original application the tallest building was eight storeys and council was saying four,” Darley said. “Mirvac indicated they were willing to compromise, so the planning panel offered them the chance to put in amended plans.”

An hearing before the Land and Environment Court has been scheduled for late December.