Mulpha gets the green light to redevelop Norwest Marketown precinct into a new town centre

Mulpha, developer of the nearby Norwest Business Park and a 'civic gateway' master plan on a site adjacent to Norwest Metro Station, has secured approval from The Hills Shire Council for the transport-oriented project which will occupy a 4.6ha site that includes Marketown and the Carlile Swimming Centre.

The Malaysian-owned company is planning to deliver the project in stages over the next 15 years, with the proposal supporting the council’s Norwest Strategic Centre Precinct Plan which is targeting a total of 22,800 dwellings and 64,200 jobs by 2041.

Mulpha’s vision for the Marketown site is to create a “dynamic and vibrant urban centre at the heart of Norwest, comprising a rich mix of retail, commercial, residential, hotel accommodation and community spaces that are interwoven with activated pedestrian walkways, expansive green spaces, and civic public places”.

Mulpha’s proposal reserves more than 50 percent of the overall site for publicly accessible space, including about 6,000sqm of waterfront parkland with direct frontage to Norwest Lake.

More than half of the balance of the site will be dedicated to commercial and workplace-related uses in keeping with enhancing the employment focus of Norwest.

Education and collaboration facilities are a primary focus of the redevelopment proposal, with plans to include a community facility and library, and an education and innovation hub to provide collaborative workspace for students, business and the local community.

Mulpha’s head of development Tim Spencer says the Norwest Marketown project will elevate Norwest’s position as a key central business district.

“We want to make Norwest Marketown Shopping Centre not only the centre of Norwest, but also the beating heart of the community, a place residents, workers and visitors want to visit daily,” he says.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a welcoming, vibrant, connected centre for Norwest – to go places, connect with people, eat and drink, shop, do business and enjoy life. Community, connectivity, creativity and sustainability are at the heart of our vision for Norwest.”

Spencer says plans for 6000sqm of waterfront parkland are key to enhancing the liveability of the precinct.

“The park connects to, and enhances, the foreshore walk around the lake, and, with an ideal northern orientation and fall towards the lake, will be an attractive place to gather all year round,” he says.

“We have introduced the potential for a diversity of apartment types with sizes that are suitable for individuals as well as families, while ensuring density is concentrated in taller towers close to Norwest Metro Station. This ensures generous public spaces, connections and pathways, to make it a great community meeting place and transit hub.”

Mulpha notes that its commitment to sustainability has been acknowledged by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) which has supported its nearby $1 billion Norwest Quarter mixed-used project in the Hills with an $80 million green loan to cut energy costs by as much as 50 per cent. The CEFC position is being matched by an $80 million green loan from ANZ.

Construction is under way on the first stage of the zero-carbon eight-tower residential development, which Mulpha says will be one of the most ambitious in Australia in terms of sustainable practices, initiatives and design considerations.

Mulpha recently completed its first commercial building, The Bond, in Norwest, a landmark cross laminated timber commercial building and health and medical centre providing vital health infrastructure to The Hills.

The project has been a commercial success for the company which sold all of the 64 strata suites in the project to a mix of owner-occupiers and investors in the healthcare sector.