Blog
Austral — Get Ahead Where Growth Meets Opportunity
Author
Amy Wong
Published
Dec 5, 2024
Category
Industry Insights
Inside the state-declared South West Growth Area (SWGA), specifically the Austral & Leppington North Precinct, primed for thousands of new homes and massive infrastructure investment.
Author
Amy Wong
Amy is the coffee-powered creative mind behind this blog. With over a decade of experience in architecture and design, he loves blending innovation with practicality. When not sketching blueprints or writing tips, you’ll find James exploring art galleries or chasing the perfect sunset for inspiration.
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“We switched from building one show-home to designing two side-by-side homes with one driveway. The yields improved and we caught the suburb before the jump-price kicked in.” — AUDesign Development Director
Why Austral is primed for lot-split strategies
Austral sits inside the NSW-designated Austral & Leppington North Precinct, planned for up to 17,350 new homes with new centres, schools and transport. This policy footing makes additional housing yield the norm rather than the exception.
Government utilities are sequencing trunk water and wastewater to match growth, including new pipelines along Edmondson Avenue and across Leppington, plus a Varroville pumping station. The catchment is forecast to expand from ~2,300 homes (2022) to ~38,000 by 2056, which directly affects servicing timing for new subdivisions.
To fund local roads, open space and stormwater, IPART endorsed a contributions framework over ~1,500 ha supporting ~16,000 dwellings / ~58,000 people, with ~12.6 km of road upgrades and large open-space provision. These figures shape feasibility and staging assumptions for lot creation.
The strategy: Subdivision first, dwellings second
Subdivision—Torrens where geometry and access allow, strata where widths or services are tighter—is the most resilient way to unlock value in Austral’s greenfield pattern. It aligns with State housing settings (dual occupancy now permitted in R2, and subdivision guardrails specified in LMR areas) and with how local approvals are being delivered.
How to choose between Torrens and strata
If this describes your site | Favour this path | Why it helps in Austral |
|---|---|---|
Frontage ≥ 12 m, depth ≥ 30–35 m; clear services and simple driveway geometry | Torrens two-lot split | Matches LMR non-refusal settings where mapped; cleaner titles for resale. |
Corner lot with two crossover options | Torrens (or staged Torrens) | Separate access reduces driveway conflicts and improves streetscape. |
Frontage < 12 m or constraints near services/overland flow | Strata | Achieves yield while managing tighter widths and shared access. |
Large parent parcel with road dedication likely | Staged Torrens with new road | Mirrors how bigger Austral subdivisions are being approved. |
Note: In mapped Low & Mid-Rise (LMR) areas, the State sets non-refusal standards that councils must not refuse on if met (e.g., dual-occ lot 450 m², width 12 m; subdivision for dual-occ in R1/R2/R3 ≥ 225 m² & 6 m width). Always verify mapping and zone before relying on these figures.
Local precedent you can learn from (Austral/Leppington)
Gurner Avenue, Austral — DA-1298/2021
Remediation + staged Torrens subdivision of 92 residential lots with roads and civil works; approved by the Sydney Western City Planning Panel. Use this as a model for staging logic, integrated reports and road layouts.
22 Eighteenth Avenue, Austral — DA-215/2021
Demolition and Torrens subdivision into 12 lots with a new road and half-width avenue reconstruction; approved by the Local Planning Panel. Good small-scale example when a short internal road unlocks yield.Fourth Avenue cluster, Austral — DA-1076/2022
Integrated housing with concurrent Torrens title subdivision across multiple properties; Panel matter with detailed staging. Useful where dwellings and lot creation run in parallel.Leppington (Camden) — Court-determined subdivisions
Examples include 31 lots at 66 Rickard Rd, 8 lots at 146 Ingleburn Rd, and a subdivision at 11 Ingleburn Rd, demonstrating steady lot creation on the Camden side.
What these cases tell you: expect conditions around new or upgraded road frontage, stormwater and riparian corridors, and staged civil works; borrowing their report suite and sequencing reduces redesign risk.
How to check if my property is eligible
Address & mapping check — confirm LGA, zoning, overlays and whether you’re inside an LMR area. Non-refusal standards only operate in mapped LMR areas; outside them, LEP/DCP controls apply.
Geometry screen — can you demonstrate two compliant envelopes and parking with independent or safe shared access? Corner lots are powerful levers.
Servicing window — request advice on trunk timing (water/wastewater) relative to your frontage; Sydney Water programs signal when connections realistically occur.
Contributions & conditions — price in developer contributions, possible road dedications or upgrades; IPART’s review gives the order-of-magnitude.
Staged concept pack — prepare a subdivision plan option set (Torrens, strata, staged), with stormwater and traffic notes aligned to what recent Panel/LPP decisions accepted.
Ready to Move from Idea to Action?
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