A helipad, golf course and film studio: Why plans for this Sydney site have failed to take off

It was touted as Penrith’s answer to Barangaroo – a waterside destination offering a luxury retail precinct, business park, golf course and film studios with views of the Blue Mountains.

But three years after the developers of Western Sydney Lakes unveiled the masterplan for the 2000-hectare site, it has failed to make headway, and general manager Andrew Bondini has been unable to commit to a timeline for the project.

The vision was still a work in progress, Bondini said, adding the company’s current focus was to rehabilitate the land – which was used as a quarry for decades – a process that was “potentially five-plus years away”. The site is owned by Boral, Holcim Australia and Heidelberg Materials Australia.

“Do we have a strict timeline in delivering [the masterplan]?” Bondini said. “It really comes down to a couple of things in the sense of a framework that’s responsive to development and adapts to community needs, market conditions, environmental considerations and continuing to work along with government on planning requirements, and that’s an ongoing process.

“There is no current fixed timeframe on that.”

The masterplan’s lack of progress comes after a range of proposed changes to the State Environmental Planning Policy for the site were exhibited in 2021 to allow for the land to be used as a golf course, film production precinct and a heliport.

The state government permitted usage of the land for the golf course and heliport in 2023 but recommended that Western Sydney Lakes, formerly known as Penrith Lakes, not proceed with the movie studios due to it being a “high intensity use that would pose an unacceptable evacuation risk”.

Since then, the only addition to the Western Sydney Lakes-owned site remains the state government-operated Penrith Beach – nicknamed “Pondi” – which has received more than 330,000 visitors since opening in 2023.

In a 2024 press release, Western Sydney Lakes board director and former chief executive Jacqueline Vozzo said Penrith Beach was “an important step forward”, but that the people of western Sydney deserved more.

“The addition of a lakehouse and tourism precinct, especially with the airport opening in less than two years’ time, would create a world-class precinct that would encourage people to arrive, stay and play in western Sydney,” she said.

Those plans have not eventuated, and as the weather heats up, some in the community believe now is the time for the Western Sydney Lakes masterplan to be delivered.

“During summer, western Sydney is sometimes one of the hottest places in the country – the region deserves better access to its own waterways,” David Borger, executive director of Business Western Sydney, said.

“At the foothills of the Blue Mountains, there’s no reason why the Lakes can’t become one of Sydney’s must-visit tourism attractions and just a great place for locals to hang out.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has opened a bureau in Parramatta. Email parramatta@smh.com.au with news tips.