Background
The Melrose Park precinct is located on the eastern edge of the City of Parramatta Council Local Government Area (LGA) and is in the process of transforming from an industrial area to one that will provide for mixed use development including high density residential, open space, retail/commercial uses, and a new school. Planning for the redevelopment of this precinct began in 2016 when Council endorsed the Parramatta Employment Lands Strategy which identifies this precinct as being suitable for non-industrial development. As a result, Council has received Planning Proposal applications to rezone various sites within the precinct to allow non-industrial uses.
Following a public exhibition period, the City of Parramatta and developers Deicorp Projects (MPTC) Pty Ltd and SH Melrose Land Pty Ltd entered into a Planning Agreement (VPA/62/2023) on 21 July 2023 for the site at 38-42, 44 and 44A Wharf Rd, 657 Victoria Rd, 33 Hope St and 27-29 Hughes Av, Melrose Park, that required the developers to carry out and complete (mainly) capital works for smart cities initiatives.
Delivered by Sekisui House Australia (the Developer) and Deicorp (the Town Centre Developer), the development supports long‑term housing supply while seeking to improve public domain quality, environmental performance and community amenity as the precinct intensifies.
The Smart Cities and Suburbs program funding (the first stage of smart cities work) to Melrose Park North offered the opportunity to test, in real conditions, how higher density redevelopment affects:
- Urban heat and pedestrian comfort,
- Stormwater performance and water quality and
- Public domain activation and environmental outcomes.
You can learn more in the frequently asked questions section below. For further background on the current and previous planning proposals related to this site, please click here.
Why are we proposing to amend the existing Planning Agreement?
The proposed amendment to the existing Planning Agreement is intended to replace the previously proposed provision of smart poles, smart sensors and smart wayfinding with a precinct-scale smart city environmental monitoring and research program.
In mid-late 2025, Council officers and the developer Sekisui House discussed the installation of smart poles, sensors and wayfinding within the parkland of the development. It was identified that the provision of smart poles within the parks (to the value of $500,000), along with smart wayfinding and sensors, was not the best outcome for the development or locality, due to the lack of supporting analysis and research, which would be at a separate cost to Council.
Real-world environmental monitoring and analysis of the built high-density precinct was identified instead, as it would provide better insight into future planning decisions to address urban cooling techniques and water sensitive design.
Sekisui House subsequently engaged Astrolabe to develop a research project and project plan with a consortium comprising Sekisui House, Western Sydney University, University of New South Wales and Astrolabe
Public exhibition - Have your say!
The City of Parramatta is publicly exhibiting a Deed of Variation for 38-42, 44 and 44A Wharf Road, 657 Victoria Road, 33 Hope Street and 27-29 Hughes Avenue, Melrose Park from Wednesday 7 October until 5pm on Wednesday 4 November 2026. You can review a copy of the public exhibition materials in the Resources section. Submissions are welcome via:
Once the public exhibition period concludes, all submissions will be reviewed and a report prepared for Council's consideration seeking adoption of the Deed of Variation. Please follow this page to stay updated.
.png)