There are big opportunities beyond suburbia in the so-called exurbs—if you know where to look.  And developers have been getting increasingly competitive at Wilton, an hour by road south-west of the CBD, in the middle of the Greater Macarthur Growth Area.  Metro Property Development in 2021 splashed $220 million on a 896-lot site within a greenfield estate formerly owned by Lendlease, reportedly beating out rivals Mirvac, Stockland and Frasers Property Australia. And while Metro has developments throughout Greater Sydney, this site is now the biggest on its books, Metro project director for Bingara Gorge Jeffrey Atkinson says. ▲ A render of the Bingara Gorge project by Metro Property Development. “We see south-west Sydney as a real growth opportunity, and Wilton in particular with all its amenities—a shopping plaza, school, an 18-hole championship golf course—are all being put together. It isn’t completed, but it has amazing bones.”  Clearly other developers have caught on, with Wilton Green in the works—a former Risland Australia (formerly known as Country Garden) project, part of which was acquired by Chinese developer Avantaus last year for $240 million. Meanwhile, Bringelly-based Cameron Brae is developing Wilton’s new town centre , while state-backed Landcom is also in on the action too, all taking advantage of the “secret sauce” of Wilton’s potential.  Making connections It is no secret that two surefire ways to judge the potential of a suburb is if the supermarket duopoly of Coles and Woolworths plan to move in, or if the state government is actively looking to invest in transport and utilities infrastructure for an area.  Wilton has both.  Coles applied last year for a shopping centre precinct in the town , which is close to the billion-dollar Western Sydney Airport development due to open in 2026. It is also tipped to benefit from the $3.5-billion North-South Rail link.  ▲ Coles filed plans for a downsized retail block to fit the “village high street-style character” of the area. “From a developer perspective, we always talk about the fundamentals, which are population, infrastructure and employment,” Urbis director Dylan Gray says. “Different areas are at different stages of having those three components as many of our cities push outwards, and Wilton is certainly starting to demonstrate that those fundamentals are there, or are certainly on the way to being there.” Metro’s Jeff Atkinson says examples such as Penrith show that when the government starts spending money on road and other transport infrastructure, opportunities arise. “Wherever they are investing in offramps, interchanges, trains and anything that provides accessibility that can be really interesting, even when you’re further out like we are at Wilton,” he says. With the transport box ticked, outer suburbs can provide things that closer suburbs to the CBD cannot; space, country lifestyles and even affordability.  Infrastructure incoming The developement of utilities infrastructure is crucial to the rise of new areas—many potential new centres has failed for want of the basics. “It’s a common story, the battle of trying to get infrastructure in place and who ’ s paying for it,” Gray says. “Ongoing stagnation in this area can make it difficult to get housing out of the ground and it will only get worse if we can ’ t agree to co-operate.” ▲ Urbis director Dylan Gray. Council support makes all the difference, and Urbis associate director of planning Anthony Kong says Wollondilly Shire “tends to take a balanced approach”. But even with council support, developing greenfield land will always face these obstacles. “The challenge with Wilton is always infrastructure servicing and funding which will determine how quickly land can be developed,” Kong says. Who’s moving in For buyers, it is becoming increasingly worth the it to move into fringe areas, even when commuting to work is a factor. “Ultimately, people have to choose between time and price ... if you’re commuting that far,” Gray says.  Access to other commuter and regional towns is turning out to be a plus, with 73 per cent of the Wollondilly LGA population travelling outside that the LGA for work. This means that the average household income in Wilton is $176,000—25 per cent higher than Greater Sydney. ▲ The Wollondilly Shire Council approved this $50-million country club in 2023. Although comparatively less expensive, Wilton has experienced 14 per cent annual growth in median house prices, according to Urbis, outperforming Greater Sydney, but still sitting well below the metro area’s $1.36 million, at $1.05 million. “Places like Bingara Gorge represent real value and are still considerably cheaper than comparable areas with a similar price point,” Atkinson says.  “For the same price, you’ll get a 600sq m block here compared to a 300sq m site in north-west Sydney. “While all developers in Sydney have been tied up since mid-2022 in interest-rate and build-cost increases which have slowed the market, we’ve been able to sell through that because of the amenity and aesthetics of the estate.” Ripe for development With the $1.6-billion Wilton Town Centre project due for completion by 2040, the last box—employment—will be ticked. By 2041 the Wollondilly Shire LGA is expected to add nearly 18,000 jobs. “[This drive] supports greater development of land suitable for uses that generate and support employment so they may potentially be more receptive to employment generating land uses,” Kong says. Developers have had a tougher time in some LGAs, such as Kempsey or Ku-ring-gai, thanks to NIMBYism and a lack of council support. But given that the precinct is in the broader Wilton Growth area as earmarked by the NSW Government, the Wollondilly community appears comparatively receptive to development. ▲ The $5-billion Western Sydney International Airport at Badgerys Creek, up the road from Wollondilly, will open next year. “The council also views the Wilton Growth Area as the precinct which will carry the weight in terms of achieving the local housing targets,” Kong says.   The support from the council has also “demonstrated that they want to be able to absorb some of the future growth of Greater Sydney”, according to Gray.  The suburb is expected to double its population in the next five years to reach 28,600 residents by 2041. Evidently, Wilton’s growth will be long term, especially given that greenfield development can take upwards of seven years for build-out and establishment, so sustainable growth is key. “Bingara Gorge collectively will house more than 6000 residents upon completion, so it’s a big component of the broader Wilton area, but there is further land that can be developed,” Gray says.  “We would all like to see it come online in a consistent fashion, so the population can be housed consistently as the town is built out, with the infrastructure and employment opportunities which will come along with that.” You are currently experiencing  The Urban Developer  Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals.  Click here to learn more.
