First look: 18-storey housing project pitched near Carlingford Light Rail Station

Sydney’s Transport Oriented Development applications continue to flood into the NSW Government, as developers seek to trigger the uplift encouraged by the government around the city’s key transport hubs.

The latest State Significant Development application, which is assessed by the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority, is in Carlingford, where a consortium known as the Carlingford Unit Trust has proposed a trio of buildings delivering 136 apartments, 25 of which will be dedicated to affordable housing and managed by Link Wentworth.

The corner site at 241–245 Pennant Hills Road, near the junction of Pennant Hills and Jenkins roads, is located just 250 metres from the new Carlingford Light Rail station.

Kennedy Associates Architects has designed the three buildings, which will sit above a 98-place childcare centre, six commercial tenancies and a gym. Residents will have access to 2,680 sqm of communal open space across rooftop and podium levels.

“The development...will deliver a significant addition to the wider Parramatta region,” Kennedy Associates noted in their Design Report, adding that the project aims to “enrich the street environment and local character of Carlingford”.

The tallest element of the proposal is an 18-storey tower to the northeast of the site (Building A), flanked by two smaller 4–5 storey buildings (Buildings B and C) along the western edge. Basement levels will accommodate 263 car spaces, allocated across residential, commercial, childcare, gym, and visitor use.

Sustainability features include passive solar design, cross ventilation, deep soil zones, and compliance with BASIX and NatHERS benchmarks. Communal open spaces have been designed to enhance residential amenity, with spaces positioned to benefit from solar access and outlooks over the broader district, including potential views to Parramatta and Sydney CBDs.

The development takes advantage of in-fill affordable housing incentives under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021, enabling a 30% uplift in height and floor space in exchange for dedicating at least 15 per cent of GFA to affordable rental housing managed by a registered community housing provider.

Carlingford Unit Trust is backed by Triple Eight Corporation, which owns the consolidated 6,331 sqm site. While the eastern edge of the site is earmarked for partial acquisition by Transport NSW for road widening, the project has been designed around the residual 5,765 sqm parcel.

New apartments in Carlingford have been in short supply. The only recent new development in the area is Blossom, just 41 apartments by Capio Property closer to the town centre.