Lendlease moves into next phase of environmental assessment for Gilead

Subject to approvals, the Gilead development will deliver 3,300 new homes, together with green open space, connected parklands, community and education facilities, and a local village shopping centre.

Gilead is the proposed second stage of Lendlease’s adjacent 1,700-home masterplanned community, Figtree Hill, currently under construction.

The Figtree Hill and Gilead sites are located 10-minutes from the Campbelltown-Macarthur centre and its education, medical and transport precincts. The combined 5,000 homes delivered over the next 10 to 15 years will make up 15 per cent of Campbelltown’s forecast housing needs as described in Council’s Local Housing Strategy.  

The Gilead site, which has been farmed for more than 100 years, is located alongside Appin Road, between the Georges and Nepean rivers. Development at Gilead is subject to rezoning approval by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, with Lendlease proposing half the site to be rezoned for urban development, and half for environmental conservation.

Once rezoned, the conservation areas will contribute to Campbelltown’s first protected east-west koala corridors between the two rivers, as identified and mapped by the NSW Government. It will also ensure land on this site be dedicated to conservation and protected in perpetuity.

Submitting the preliminary documentation for public exhibition is an important stage in securing relevant environmental approvals for Gilead. The Commonwealth’s EPBC Act provides the legal framework to assess the project and ensure once completed, matters of national environmental significance will be maintained or improved.

Lendlease’s submission for assessment outlines that across the 644-hectare site, three hectares of high-quality koala habitat will be impacted to facilitate the delivery of the new community in the identified urban areas. 

Importantly, significant areas of formerly cleared grazing land will be restored and regenerated to increase core koala habitat by 70 hectares over the span of the project, 30 per cent more than what’s there today. All offset requirements will be met within the Gilead locality.

Every conservation measure proposed is fully funded by Lendlease and follows the advice of the NSW Chief Scientist’s independent panel of koala experts.

If approved, the community at completion will be surrounded by over 280 hectares of land dedicated to conservation, an area larger than Sydney’s CBD.

The Gilead EPBC application is on public exhibition until 1st September 2023.

Quotes attributable to Brendan O’Brien, Head of NSW Communities, Lendlease 

“Our Gilead community in Campbelltown will help address a critical shortage of new homes just 
10-minutes from the Campbelltown-Macarthur centre, while delivering urgently needed conservation measures for the local koala population.

“We take great responsibility in creating communities for future generations, and our vision for Gilead is that it becomes an exemplar of sustainable urban development and strategic land use for conservation. We’re committed to having a positive impact on biodiversity and nature, with plans to increase core koala habitat by 70 hectares – 30 per cent more than what’s there today.

“Our plan to regenerate habitat is underpinned by the strategic goal of connecting the two rivers for the first time in decades, and repairing environmental damage of past land clearing practices.

“The Commonwealth environmental assessment provides a rigorous and independent process for assessment and transparency, and an opportunity for the community to get involved and learn more about our project.” 

ENDS

For more information: 
Anna Warby 
External Affairs Manager – NSW/ACT
anna.warby@lendlease.com
+61 476 168 556