Mirvac lodge concept plans for Coonara by Mirvac, Hills District masterplan

The ASX-listed property developer, Mirvac, has submitted plans for its Hills Shire masterplanned community.

Coonara by Mirvac, in West Pennant Hills, will see 418 dwellings created across the near 26-hectare block of land bordering the Cumberland State Forest. Around 10 hectares of remnant bushland will be dedicated to the Stage Government as public open space.

There will be four apartment buildings, and the rest of the residences townhouses.

To be the first to be notified about the next stage of this development, enquire here.

"The concept plan for 55 Coonara Avenue adopts a country-centred approach, underpinned by the preservation and regeneration of vast areas of native forest for the benefit of all living beings," Mirvac noted in their submission to the Hills Shire Council.

"By prioritising the natural environment, the result is a compelling new housing typology and development that will be unprecedented in this local government area.

An aerial of the proposed masterplan. Image credit: Mirvac

"It intends to set a new benchmark in socially and environmentally sustainable residential development."

It's been a six year process for the Mirvac Design team to get to this point. 

Feedback from the 2019 planning proposal exhibition process has seen Mirvac pivot away from the higher density living, with concerns raised of the number of apartment buildings when there were nine planned.

To be the first to be notified about the next stage of this development, enquire here.

Dwelling numbers were also reduced from the 2020 rezoning, down 30 per cent from a permissable 600 to 418. Mirvac also increased the average and minimum lot size, from 86 sqm permissible to a minimum range of 150 sqm to 500 sqm.

Three views of the proposed masterplan. Image credit: Mirvac

The design response of the masterplanned community sought to capture the natural character of the remnant forest.

"Public spaces, streets and buildings are inspired by the idea of living in harmony with nature.

"The proposed design will have a distinct and contextual expression, one that is not urban nor suburban but specific to its unique context."

To be the first to be notified about the next stage of this development, enquire here.

Houses will terrace across the topography, and will be integrated with surrounding parks and forest areas. There will be a mix of two to three-storey dwellings, with a range of floor plans catering for larger families and multigenerational living.

"The architectural expression of the apartment buildings is inspired by the idea of tree-house living, where the overall built form is broken down into a series of smaller, seemingly random, yet complimentary architectural elements echoing the organic order of nature."

Mirvac suggest the configuration mix of apartments addresses a notable gap in the current housing supply at West Pennant Hills.

Four perspectives of the proposed apartment buildings. Image credit: Mirvac

Around 1,045 residents will call Coonara by Mirvac home when it is completed. The apartments are set to be the last stage.

Currently a redundant and obsolete business park, it will be the first time in around a century that the natural forest environment will be publicly accessible to the community.

"The concept plan seeks to extend the experience of the forest from the edges of the site into the heart of the development, and on to the doorstep of future residents and the local community," Mirvac added.

To be the first to be notified about the next stage of this development, enquire here.

"The beauty and importance of the remnant native bushland with Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest is paramount.

"The protection of this precious environment through a sensitive and design-led approach will ensure the distinct qualities of this remarkable place will be protected and enjoyed in perpetuity by all living being."