2009 - Latest proposal (Developers third attempt at a rezoning)

IFC Capital Ltd lodge another revised development proposal with Penrith Council. This would require Council to back flip on its August 2008 commitment to the people of Penrith that the entire site should be protected

IFC Capital have lodged another revised development proposal with Penrith Council in a last ditch effort to get support from Council for a development outcome. This revised plan was lodged by IFC after the NSW Dept of Planning told them that it will not interfere in the planning process of Penrith Council. IFC's new proposal proposes some 450 lots to be developed and is just more of the same with only an additional 10 ha of the site being spared from development. 80 hectares of the site will be destroyed. No matter how the developers try to dress this development up as sustainable and good for the environment the fact is it never will be. It will never meet the sustainability criteria needed to get listed on the Metropolitan Development Program.

Penrith Council must not waiver from its position. The NSW Government and the Federal Government (Peter Garrett and David Bradbury) have both indicated support for the protection of the site and that they will work together with the aim that the site become a new nature reserve. Everything is in position - the funds are there to acquire the site should IFC wish to sell the land to DECC - so there is no excuse for Council not to finalise the matter by rezoning the site to E2.

2007 - Developers second proposal they lodged with the NSW Dept of Planning

IFC Capital Ltd have lodged a new development proposal with the NSW Government. They have bypassed Penrith Council and gone straight to the Planning Minister Frank Sartor and applied to have the site listed on the Metropolitan Development Program and assessed as State Significant Development which if allowed means Frank Sartor becomes the sole consent authority and can rezone the site for development with little or no input from the local community or Penrith Council.

The new IFC proposal will now be a massive overdevelopment of the site. They have scrapped plans for a 180 lot rural subdivision and now propose:

• 84 hectares of residential land catering for 610 – 740 lots down to 350 square metres with detached housing, and other forms of housing including three storey town houses

• 1800 residents

• 8 hectares of storm water and flood mitigation

• 89 hectare conservation area

Map of the development proposal and the types and locations of housing as lodged with the NSW Dept of Planning is here

This link will open up locations of the vegetation communities mapped by DECC in 2007 when the site was used to pilot the Biobanking methodology

This map is far from accurate but gives an indication of the extent of some of the endangered species across the site

2005 - IFC Capital Ltd's first rezoning proposal

The former 181-hectare Air Services Australia Site at Cranebrook was sold by the Federal Government in October 2004 to a property developer called IFC Capital Ltd. The Federal Government were condemned at the time because of the secretive nature of the sale and because of a lack of community consultation. The sale was dubbed the ADI Site Mark 2 because of the similarities with the ADI Site development debacle. There also appeared to be inadequate environmental surveying of the site by the Federal Government leading up to the sale. IFC Capital Ltd (then called Infracorp) paid only $15 million plus GST for the entire site. 

IFC Capital Ltd commenced discussions with Penrith City Council in 2005 as they need to get the land rezoned by Council to allow housing development. Council appears to have been working closely with the developer assisting them with their rezoning application. IFC have since completed a range of site assessments, required by Council, and they have lodged a rezoning application with Council so that they can develop a total of  85 hectares of the site for what they are calling 'E4 Environmental Living'. E4 Environmental Living, as described by the NSW Department of Planning,  is generally intended for land with special environmental or scenic values where residential development could be accommodated. 

The developers proposal includes setting aside 78 hectares of the site for conservation. Levies collected from land sales will go towards a fund which the landowners are meant to use to manage the bushland. This appears like green gloss to lull Penrith Council and the NSW Government into supporting the development. One questions the merits of this proposal as it is doubtful future landowners would have the will or the management skills to properly care for bushland of such conservation value. 

The site has immense conservation value and should not be developed in any way. The site should be returned to public ownership. The land should be acquired by the NSW Government and put into the management of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service so that conservation and passive recreation outcomes can be achieved for the community. A possible source of funding could come from the  Growth Centre Commission which proposes a conservation fund of $530 million to offset the loss of bushland that is proposed to be cleared for development within the Growth Centres. Information about the Growth Centres Conservation Plan can be found here 1278kb. This document proves that the NSW Government is wanting to conserve areas of high conservation value outside of the Growth Centres and that there will be funds to do this. We now need them to show some political will.

Getting the entire site acquired and properly protected is a priority but as the State is crying poor at the moment they appear reluctant to act. An alternative proposal has been proposed that the Federal Government should offer a no interest loan to the State to urgently acquire the site. The loan can be repaid when the State has enough funds in the Growth Centres Conservation Fund.

The Cranebrook Site is an important link in a conservation corridor linking bushland south of the ADI Site through to the Blue Mountains. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service oppose the rezoning of the site because of its immense Natural and Aboriginal Heritage values and because it is part of this important corridor. Penrith Councils draft LEP Flora and Fauna Conservation 1999 shows that the entire Cranebrook site is classified as a conservation corridor. So why are they now contemplating allowing housing on the site?

Penrith Council must stop pandering to IFC Capital Ltd and reject their rezoning application. Penrith Council must work with local residents to lobby the NSW and Federal Governments to buy back the site and ensure it is properly managed and protected. Penrith Council must do the right thing and put local residents and the environment first.

The Cranebrook site is very significant bushland but like most unmanaged bushland in Western Sydney it suffers at the hands of people who use the site to ride motorbikes, drive 4WD's, illegally dump rubbish, light fires, collect firewood and participate in other anti social activities. It is in desperate need of fencing and proper management. It is complete nonsense for anyone to argue that bulldozing the site is the best way to stop this anti social behaviour.