Sydney’s newest suburb three years ahead of schedule: Brad Hazzard
Sydney’s newest suburb is set to be complete three years ahead of schedule, in an attempt to boost housing supply, according to Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Brad Hazzard.
The suburb, known affectionately as Bunya but officially as Bungarribee, is located in the western Sydney area and is attracting a number of new buyers – with one in three of the 800 purchasers said to be first home buyers.
Artist impression courtesy of LandCom
“New Western Sydney housing is selling like hotcakes and Bunya is leading the charge,” Hazzard announced today.
“Recent housing figures show over 16,700 new homes were approved in Sydney (July to November) which indicates we are on track to have the strongest year of housing approvals in Sydney since 1973," he said.
The 55 hectare site is on the former Overseas Telecommunication area at Doonside and was developed by UrbanGrowth New South Wales. Located less than a kilometre from Doonside train station, and just over a kilometre from local shops, it’s well placed, being bound by Doonside Road, with Steeltrap Drive being the main road through the suburb.
The housing area has a six star environmental rating, and overlooks the Parklands. In September, 50 land lots were released, with more than 150 homes occupied and more than 100 under construction.
“Over 650 lots of the 820 have sold in under three years and demand for the remaining 170 lots is hotter than ever, with future residents visiting the sales office daily,” Hazzard said.
Prices for house and land packages range from $525,000 for a 400 square metre lot, to $630,000 for a 600 square metre lot. The median house price in Doonside currently sits at $391,500, according to RP Data, with rent at around $380 per week, so these properties are significantly above the norm.
Land started at $290,000, sized from 464 square metres to 715 square metres, with the smaller, cheaper blocks proving to be the most popular within the first release stages. Property Observer understands that some of the corner blocks have added restrictions on the type of property that can be developed. The site previously achieved a commendation at the Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW Austral Bricks Awards for Excellence.
On completion, the area will house 3,000 residents. Blacktown City Council will be the local authority for the area.
Artist impression courtesy of LandCom
The builder team includes Allcastle Homes, Eden Brae Homes, Champion Homes and Wisdom Homes. The masterplan includes a $4.9 million community resource hub called "The Hub", which officially opened on Saturday, and a number of parks, cycleways and walkways.
The community already has their own Facebook page, encouraging residents to get involved with local street parties and campaigns.
Taking their suburb's name from the famous horse stud that was a major local employer in the early 19th century, a number of the streets are named after horses that dominated the racing scene in the 1820s and 1830s, said Landcom development director, Camille Abbott. This includes roads such as Steeltrap Drive and Manto Street. There is also a "Sir Hercules Parade" named after the sire of 1866 Melbourne Cup winner The Barb. The display village sits along this street.
“Landcom worked closely with a local historian to explore the history of the site. Local historical societies were then approached to workshop several names which were eventually chosen. It was important the names chosen, adequately represented the horse breeding past and involved historical representatives from the area," said Abbott.
The main park in the area still contains the remains of the Bungarribee Homestead, which was built in 1822.