Winston Hills. $25 million expansion

Aevum Limited has lodged an application with Parramatta City Council for the construction of a 60- bed care facility, 17 hostel units and 74 self-contained dwellings, at The Willows, at 226 Windsor Road, Winston Hills. The estimated cost of the development is $25 million.

Parramatta. Onsite meetings

Parramatta City Council has received seven letters of objection to the use of a portion of the Fennell Street car park, in North Parramatta, as a Harry’s Café de Wheels kiosk. Council will hold an onsite meeting on October 23. Council will conduct an onsite meeting, on November 1, at 36 Charles Street, Parramatta, for the proposed change of use from the Port Bar restaurant, at the RiverCat ferry wharf, to a pub. T.N.T Investments proposes to establish a boutique pub on the premises. The application has attracted no submissions.

Region. Gabrielle Kibble gets honorary degree

The University of Western Sydney has awarded Ms Gabrielle Kibble AO an Honorary Doctor of Letters in recognition of her outstanding contributions to UWS and the Greater Western Sydney community and the planning profession. UWS vice-chancellor, Professor Janice Reid, said Ms Kibble has been a strong advocate for UWS played a crucial role in its development as deputy chancellor and chair of the UWS Campus Development Committee. She has held senior positions with the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Sydney Water and the Heritage Council of NSW. Ms Kibble has been appointed to head the State Government's new Planning and Assessment Commission, which will assume responsibility for determining major state and regional development proposals.

Minto. New housing estate model

The first combined public and private housing estate in NSW has gone on sale, at Minto, with house and land packages starting from $300,000. he 120-hectare development with 1150 homes and aged-care units will be rolled out over seven years. The project is a partnership between the State Government’s development arm, Landcom, Housing NSW and Campbelltown City Council.

Parramatta. Planning forums roadshow

The Department of Planning has invited councils, developers and consultants to a series of “roadshows” around NSW to explain how the Part 3A approvals system works. A forum will be held in Parramatta on October 17.

Blacktown. 'It's a slap in the face'

Blacktown Mayor, Leo Kelly, says the NSW Government has undermined ratepayer-funded plans to create a world-class motor sport precinct, at Eastern Creek, by allowing V8 Supercars Australia to hold an event at Sydney Olympic Park. "I can't understand why the state is now pursuing having V8 racing around the Olympic site and spending millions on that, when, if they invested that money in the Eastern Creek precinct, it would be there in perpetuity, boost the state economy and really get the place up and running," he said. "It's a smack in the face for all of those people and for the local economy and for Blacktown Council, which has promoted the concept.” Council has planned the multi-million-dollar Eastern Creek precinct for years, hoping to attract car showrooms, automotive repairers, a go-cart track and new marquee races.

Sydney Olympic Park. Opposition to Supercars

The NSW Government’s decision to approve the holding of a V8 Supercars event, at Sydney Olympic Park for five years has created opposition from the government’s own Sydney Olympic Park Authority and Blacktown City Council. The government is negotiating compensation with business in the precinct. The Commonwealth Bank, GPT Property and Babcock & Brown, all in the precinct, have opposed the event.

Parramatta. Riverside building for sale

The four-storey office building, at 96 Phillip Street, overlooking the Parramatta River and adjacent to the RiverCat ferry wharf, in the corporate precinct of the CBD, will be auctioned on October 30. The building, is on a site area of 824.7 square metres, with a FSR of 4:1, has a net leasing area of 1815 square metres. Tenants include Habitat for Humanity, Board of Studies NSW, Nexus Alliance Institute, Quay Appointments, The Research Forum and the River Canyon restaurant. The building has 23 basement car spaces. The net estimated income is over $500,000 annually. Knight Frank and CBRE are the agents.

Camden. Green Corps at airport

The Green Corps program, a Federal Government initiative aimed at providing a group of ten 17–20 year olds work experience and training in conservation land management will run for a period of six months, at Camden Airport. The group will oversee the ongoing regeneration of 10 hectares of bushland of River Flat Forest within the 59-hectare Environment Protection Zone, at the airport. The Southern Cross Gliding Club has provided the team with access to its facilities for classroom activities to enable them to complete a Certificate 1 in Conservation Land Management.

Parramatta. Restaurant takings down

Wah Lee, owner of the Istana Malaysian restaurant, in Church Street, said turnover was down about 10 per cent over the past six months, indicative of Citigroup research showing that retailers most susceptible to “trading down” were café, restaurants, department stores and newsagencies. “When the downturn comes, restaurants are the first to get affected because it is a luxury,” Mr Lee, said in The Australian Financial Review.

Liverpool. Pubs in receivership

Private Sydney-based Community Entertainment Assets, whose portfolio included the Club Hotel and Ground Zero, both in Liverpool, has been placed in receivership because of smoking bans had affected gaming revenues and tightening of credit. Peter Walker, of receivers Ferrier Hodgson, said the pubs were “trading robustly at the moment”, in The Australian Financial Review.

Region. PBL printery in the west

PBL Media, Australia’s largest magazine publisher, is pushing ahead with its plan to set up a printing operation for its ACP Magazines division. The centre, which could cost up to $150 million, would probably be based in Western Sydney. It is not expected to open until 2011.

Region. Developers stay away

Economic and social problems were keeping developers away from suburbs such as Auburn, Bankstown and Fairfield, which were supposed to take the lion’s share of development over the next 25 years, according to a study by the City Futures research centre, at the University of NSW. “This will be the heart of the new Sydney in many ways, but it’s also the region least capable of delivering good quality higher density renewal out of all the Metropolitan Strategy regions,” said Professor Bill Randolph, a study’s co-author.

Arndell Park. Goodman Australia outlays $50m

The unlisted Goodman Australia Industrial Fund is reported to have paid about $50 million, in cash and script, for a 40,000-square metre distribution centre, at Arndell Park. NAB Super bought the property in 2002 for $33 million from property developer St Hilliers.

Guildford. Aldi proposes new supermarket

The German discount supermarket group proposes to construct a store, on a 2782-square-metre vacant car sales site, on the corner of Woodville Road and Oxford Street, Guildford, with basement parking for 69 vehicles. The estimated construction cost is $6.6 million