The site is adjacent to three extremely crowded intersections. These intersections are so congested and dangerous that they make shopping, commuting through and travelling in this area extremely stressful. Too many apartments have been built in Epping with no infrastructure. The parking situation in Epping is difficult and frustrating as there are too many apartment dwellers in the area who have moved in recently with a surge in population. Similarly local schools are at pressure point with my children's school playgrounds taken over by portable buildings to house the influx. PLEASE REFUSE THIS APPLICATION

Enhanced submission:
The full potential for the Parramatta Light rail will not be realised until the line is extended from Carlingford Station to Carlingford Court and beyond to Epping station ("the Extension").

It appears from https://is.gd/jAM0Pe that the Parramatta to Chatswood line and the North West Railway (now Sydney Metro) were intended to converge under 240-244 Beecroft Road Epping. The question of The Extension is still being considered by Transport for NSW. The topography of the land between Carlingford station and Epping station is challenging for light rail on the surface. Carlingford Road is at capacity at times and narrow Keeler Street, (a vaguely suggested alternative) has recently been developed with new apartments. The original proposed Parramatta to Epping station route seems the only possible one and would be the best outcome to exploit the transfer of passengers at that station or even to connecting buses on the eastern side of the line.

Whereas the T6 Carlingford line connects to Sydney Trains at Clyde station for services in both directions, the Parramatta Light Rail makes this connection at Parramatta Square, a short distance from Parramatta Station itself. Much residential development has taken place near Carlingford station and there is vacant land nearby for more. The full potential of Parramatta Light rail requires it cater for customers who have business in Macquarie Park, Chatswood and the CBD as well as in Parramatta.

240-244 Beecroft Road should remain in public ownership until a final decision is made about the future of Parramatta Light Rail stage 1. If the land is used for that service to be connected to Epping station as envisaged, it would then be possible to build over the lines for uses such as 24/7 call centres with pedestrian tunnel access to the station. This would be the best use for this uniquely placed parcel of land closer to where a large employment pool lives.

My name is Jackie Pan. I am an apartment owner in Epping and hold a Master's degree in the field of town planning.

I oppose the development plan due to the following reasons.

The information in section 6.1 of the development application is in direct contradiction to the findings and recommendations outlined in "Epping town centre Commercial Floorspace Study" from SGS Economics and Planning, including the following direct excepts from this study:

- Prior to the Priority Precinct process, the Epping town centre contained a relatively even mix of industries, providing local retail and services as well as employment opportunities across a range of industries.
- Recent development activity has seen the development of new residential floorspace at the expense of existing office floorspace that has been supporting this local employment. The quantum of retail floorspace remains the same as existing sites are redeveloped.
- Epping continues to experience demand for retail and office floorspace, however development activity has seen commercial uses unable to access appropriate floorspace to support their business.
- In light of this demand, forecast population growth, the size and infrastructure investment in the centre, Epping is considered to function as a sub-District centre, playing a more significant role than other nearby local centres.
- In light of this sub-District centre function, over the next 20 years there is forecast demand for 13,000 square metres of retail floorspace and 55,616 square metres of office floorspace in the Epping town centre.
- Current patterns of development are unlikely to deliver the quantum of floorspace required by 2036. A
non-residential floorspace ratio is recommended as a means to deliver commercial floorspace.


The proposed development also contradicts the planning strategy of greater Sydney of cutting commute times and creating more business hubs. A lack of investment in commercial space would be a missed opportunity to invest in another of the many growing business hubs along the north west metro line; joining Norwest, Bella Vista, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Chatswood and North Sydney.


The proximity to North Ryde and Macquarie park makes Epping an ideal location for commercial and retail use. This space would be more appropriately utilized by development of commercial, office, and retail floorspace, rather than high rise residential.

Recent residential development in terms of the number of dwellings is already well in excess of what the State Government originally proposed for the Epping precinct. Developments of this nature and size near the Urban Activation Precinct should be put on hold until necessary infrastructure and community facilities have caught up with population growth. This proposal plays down this growth by using figures from 2011 rather than the more recent population estimates in the council’s Epping Planning Review of 2016. This is very misleading.

Epping needs commercial development in parallel with residential development. This proposal allows for approximately 1.5% of the floor space for commercial uses, which is effectively none. This continues the deliberate and short-sighted approach of recent Epping developments which have seen more than 10,000 jobs leave Epping and will leave the suburb effectively a dormitory with little retail activation during the day.

The proposal includes a minimum of 5% affordable housing. In fact, that is a measly 22 units. There has been no affordable housing anywhere else in Epping during this redevelopment. This government-owned land has the chance to address this by undertaking a substantive housing project with an appropriate NGO agency
This development will preclude the use of any of this land to ameliorate traffic on the Carlingford Rd/Beecroft Rd intersection, which an east-west link traffic link through the site may have provided. This link was a key element of the council’s Epping Traffic Study.

The site is isolated from the Town Centre by busy Carlingford Rd and one of the worst bottleneck junctions in Sydney. How are the 1200 or more residents of these towers to gain access to the Metro Station? If these 1200 people have to use pedestrian crossing on Carlingford Rd, what effect will this have on the delays in excess of one hour at peak periods that are forecast by the Epping Traffic Study for the Beecroft Rd, Carlingford Rd intersection?

The EIS indicates that other massive developments on the western side of the railway line are currently under consideration. These include a 40-storey development at 59-79 Beecroft Rd (700 dwellings) and a 45-storey development at 49 and 53-61 Rawson St (1194 dwellings). Unfortunately, as usual each of these developments is being considered in isolation from the others but in fact they all affect traffic, infrastructure and community facilities cumulatively. We urgently need a precinct plan which looks at all proposed developments as a whole to work out what Epping will look like in the future.

The only Community open space provided with this development is effectively a small area around the through site pedestrian link between Cliff Rd and Beecroft Rd.
The consent and approvals bodies for each stage of this development are not clearly defined in the EIS. As a State Significant Development, this falls under the Minister for Planning for approval. However, that means this site is not being seen properly in conjunction with other developments, or within the greater context of the challenges facing the Epping Town Centre which the City of Parramatta council are having to deal with.