This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
JAPANESE partners Sekisui House Australia and Hankyu Hanshin have been given the green light for stage five of the $5 billion Melrose Park master-planned urban precinct in Sydney’s north-western suburbs.
Located 12 kilometres from the CBD, the entirety of the Melrose Park will deliver more than 5,500 homes on completion, a commercial and retail town centre, and extensive parklands.
As exclusively reported by Australian Property Journal, Hankyu Hanshin quietly bought into the project in September, marking its first residential development down under.
Melrose Park has been in the works since 2014. Initially it was a joint venture between Sekisui House and local developer Payce, with Sekisui House later acquiring Payce’s interest project and taking complete control of the project. Around 1,100 condominiums have been sold.
The newly-approved stage, named Dawn, will comprise low-rise buildings ranging from six to 10 levels, built around a large central courtyard spanning almost two hectares. The stage will include 368 one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as penthouses oriented towards the park.
Dawn is less than 150 metres from Melrose Park Town Centre, which will be open by the end of next year – at the same time Sekisui House anticipates Dawn’s residents will begin moving in.
It will also be connected to stage two of the Parramatta Light Rail, and is 30 minutes by car or a 30-minute train ride from Meadowbank station to Sydney’s CBD.
Designed by architects GroupGSA, Dawn aims to integrate “seamlessly with its surroundings, featuring precinct views of Central Park and the Western Parklands, as well as clever design elements such as secluded rooftop amenities, an internal central courtyard garden, shading devices and link bridges”.
Alex Grujovski, project director, apartment and mixed-use developments, Sekisui House Australia, said, “Dawn represents our unwavering commitment to creating communities that coexist harmoniously with nature, while fostering interactions between people and place.
The stage will feature Central Park, offering residents open spaces, barbecue and picnic areas, children’s play facilities and kilometres of walking tracks.
Complimenting these are rooftop community facilities including barbecue areas, seating nooks and relaxation zones.
Sustainability initiatives at Dawn will include a dedicated energy network and rooftop gardens providing green spaces for residents, while the master plan includes 1,500 mature drought-tolerant native trees being planted, along with permanent wetlands to boost biodiversity and rain gardens for on-site water treatment.
Hankyu Hanshin’s move into the project followed it joining forces with a Malaysian investor to invest $536 million in a portfolio of logistics properties across Australia.
