The role that the study area will play within the rail corridor and the Northwest is considered. The key planning controls applicable to the study area were reviewed to determine their ability to respond to the new rail link and station. Sites that could contribute to the growth of the study area in response to the new rail link and station were identified.
This vision must be realized through a structural plan that provides a general guide to the future character of the study area. The study area also includes Norwest Private Hospital, a shopping center and Bella Vista Farm, a historic property in the middle of a large estate. Residential areas to the east of the study area comprise detached executive housing, which is a key attraction for employees in the nearby business park.
The combination of these elements reveals the overall level of constraints within the study area and highlights the sites that have the opportunity to change in response to a new rail link and station at Bella Vista. The study area is accessible from three major routes - Norwest Boulevard to the south, Old Windsor Road to the west and Balmoral Road and Burns Road to the north. Scattered pockets of significant vegetation are found in the northern and northwestern parts of the study area.
A single residential building located to the west of the study area is listed as general heritage and Old Windsor Road is listed as an archaeological heritage site.
TOPOGRAPHY
DRAINAGE
Bella Vista Structure Plan
Opportunities & Constraints Analysis
- OTHER CONSTRAINTS
- COMBINED CONSTRAINTS
The assessment of recent residential construction includes all developments that have taken place over the past 15 years. An analysis of recent residential development within the study area indicates that incremental, low-density residential development has occurred throughout the study area. This recent development has taken place in two key areas: west of Old Windsor Road in the Blacktown LGA and east of the existing business park in the Hills Shire LGA.
Limited concentrations of residential development, including a high-density apartment development, are located in the northeast of the study area. Consideration was also given to the condition and age of the existing building stock and the impact of these factors on the likelihood that land will be redeveloped during the lifetime of the Structure Plan. A high proportion of dwellings within the Study Area have been recently built and/or are of sufficient quality to be excluded as potential urban redevelopment opportunity sites in the short to medium term.
Please see the photos on page 7 which illustrate the character of recent residential development within the study area. The most recent housing development data comes from the 2011 Metropolitan Development Program, which catalogs housing completions. The study area contains strata and community owned sites on Lexington Drive and Meridian Place, in the heart of the study area.
These parcels are therefore not likely to contribute to the short-term commercial capacity of the study area, but may become available in the medium to long term. Overhead power lines, with a corresponding easement, cross the northern half of the study area, from Norwest Business Park in the southeast to Old Windsor Road in the northwest. Parts of the subject area are located in a river corridor parallel to Old Windsor Road.
A flood risk management plan will need to be put in place for development near this corridor. They can provide an opportunity to increase community facilities, active and passive recreational spaces to contribute to a greater level of amenity for the workers and residents of Bella Vista in the future. Study Area Station Boundary Location Streamline/Waterbody Endangered Species Recent Residential Development Open Space Community Ownership Floodplain (High Risk) Electricity Easement Stratu Ownership.
Bella Vista Structure Plan 3. Planning Controls
- INTRODUCTION
- LAND USE
- BUILDING HEIGHT
- LOT SIZE
- FLOOR SPACE RATIO
Employment lands and lands immediately adjacent to the station are subject to a height limit of between 108 and 116 m RL to preserve views to and from Bella Vista Farm. An assessment of the topography reveals that buildings within this control may vary between a minimum height of 12m near the end of Bella Vista Drive in the southeast, to a maximum height of 50m east of the proposed station location. Beyond this, the northeast of the study area is subject to a height control of 10m while lands adjacent to the intersection of Memorial Ave and Old Windsor Road are subject to height limits of 16m.
The maximum building height west of the station within the Blacktown LGA is 9 metres. Land within the study area south of Bella Vista, zoned employment, has a minimum lot size of 8,000 m² under the Hills Local Environmental Plan 2012. Within residential areas, the minimum lot size is 450 m² west of Old Windsor Road and 700 m² east of Old Windsor Road.
Floor Space Ratio (FSR) controls refer to the ratio of the permitted built form to the area of a site. The majority of working land adjacent to and south of Bella Vista Station has a FVV of 1:1 under the Hills Local Environmental Plan 2012. A small pocket of 1.49:1 exists within the Circa Retail development south of Norwest Boulevard and 0.5 :1 within the Local Center on Memorial Avenue in the north of the Study Area.
There are no FSR controls for residual land within the Bella Vista Study Area that is located within The Hills or Blacktown LGAs. A plan illustrating the existing floor space ratio controls can be found in Figure 15: Floor space ratio controls.
Bella Vista Structure Plan 4. Opportunities for Growth
OPPORTUNITY SITES
RESIDENTIAL
EMPLOYMENT
PROJECTED GROWTH UNDER EXISTING CONTROLS
VISION FOR THE STUDY AREA
PROPOSED
STRUCTURE PLAN
- FUTURE PRECINCT CHARACTER
- PROJECTED GROWTH
- Demand for Additional Dwellings. Future demand for additional residential development in the Study Area is estimated to be in the order of 200 dwellings per
- Demand for Employment Lands. Future demand for additional employment (commercial, retail and bulky goods) fl oorspace within the Study Area is projected to
- Actions and Implementations
- INTRODUCTION
- PUBLIC DOMAIN, URBAN DESIGN & OPEN SPACE
- TRANSPORT, MOVEMENT AND ACCESSIBILITY
Objectives: To provide attractive open spaces with high amenity to the public, as well as a strong street pattern to support future growth opportunities within the Study Area. This area will serve as a transition between the lower density residential areas beyond the Study Area and the station area. Within the study area there are areas and areas which are expected to remain largely unchanged through the submission of the NWRL and Structure Plan.
The projected growth is a calculation of the amount of housing and employment development expected to occur in the Study Area. The structure plan identifies the future desired character and built-up form of areas within the Study Area. The amount and rate of development is influenced by market demand for different types of development within the study area.
In Bella Vista, due to the high level of amenity and quality of life currently offered within the Study Area and the increased accessibility provided by the North West Rail Link, receiving/. However, it is predicted that only 32% of this capacity will be realized by 2036, providing an additional 4,400 dwellings within the Study Area. However, only 23% of this capacity is projected to be realized by 2036, providing an additional 10,500 jobs within the Study Area.
A high level demand analysis was undertaken to determine the demand for potential development scenarios on opportunity sites within the Study Area. Identified uptake/realization rates for each land use within the Study Area, which informed the calculation of projected growth. Future demand for additional employment (commercial, retail and bulky goods) floor space within the Study Area is projected to (commercial, retail and bulky goods) floor space within the Study Area is expected to increase within the Study Area at a rate of 10,000m² p.a.
The analysis supports the provision for townhouse and single-detached development on the periphery of the Study Area on large undeveloped lots. It will also guide the assessment of major projects and development applications within the Study Area. Current parking policies and minimum apartment sizes also limit the type and variety of housing offered within the study area and need to be reconsidered.
Improvements in connectivity, particularly for non-vehicle modes of transport, to the new station and new hubs, including identifying and providing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure along major roads within the study area. Projected population growth and employment within the study area will require consideration of infrastructure networks such as water, sewerage, electricity and gas to meet the projected demand.
