Triguboff Slams Planning After Stoush Over Parramatta Tower

Meriton boss Harry Triguboff is celebrating a court win against the City of Parramatta over the developer’s planned 30-storey Epping tower.

A stoush over carparking was at the heart of the disagreement, leading to a trip to the Land and Environment Court, which ruled in favour of the developer last week.

Meriton filed plans for a 30-storey tower on a 4970sq m site at 37-41 Oxford Street last year.

The Scott Carver-designed, 29,000sq m project initially offered 211 apartments and six levels of basement parking, replacing an existing unused three-storey office building. 

However, it has faced backlash over multiple issues, forcing the prolific developer to change its plans.

Among the detractors, the Epping Civic Trust raised concerns with the council over parking, suggesting that additional parking provision on two additional basement floors “runs contrary to council’s recent requirements to limit parking in highrise apartments with green travel plans to encourage public transport use and discourage private vehicles”. 

Sydney Central City Planning panel rejected the proposal in September due to these parking issues, height variations that were initially requested, and a clause in the Hornsby Local Environmental Plan which does not allow floor space variation to be approved for shoptop housing.

As a result, Meriton cut its number of apartments to 204 and redesigned its basement carparking to five levels with basement envelope changes to levels two and three. 

This resulted in an increase in bicycle parking from 65 to 148 spots, and a reduction in carparking spaces to 299 from 317.

This was the central issue in the court case, as the council reportedly would only allow 220 spots.

▲ An artist’s impression of Meriton’s proposed 30-storey Epping apartment project. Image: Scott Carver

Trigoboff claimed the win was a “major victory”.

“It is clear that more and more people want to live in apartments but when council imposes conditions that go against the market then we have an obligation to fight for what is right,” Triguboff said in a media statement. 

“Our buyers and renters rely on their cars. Some use them during the week, others may only use them on the weekends, so to assume hundreds of residents would move into a building with inadequate parking is naive.” 

Triguboff criticised outdated rules and inflexibility for the issue.

“The council rules only allowed a number of car spaces, which the council was prepared to approve. 

“However, the rules were out of date and the court agreed with us that the number had to be increased. This is a very important victory because developers must understand that if the rules are out of date, they can stand on their rights and they will win.”

Triguboff said that councils needed to help increase unit production, and blamed the Department of Planning pushbacks and delays for Meriton building fewer apartments.

“We fought for 80 parking spaces for a year. They are doing nothing to increase the unit production, instead they are slowing it down,” he said.