A controversial development application proposing a KFC, childcare centre, and car service outlet at Carnes Hill Marketplace is once again under assessment, after its initial refusal by Liverpool Council in 2023.
The revised proposal, lodged in August last year, aims to activate two vacant parcels fronting Cowpasture Road, continuing a broader push to capitalise on the remaining developable land surrounding one of South West Sydney’s key subregional retail hubs.
But this particular proposal has already sparked regulatory caution, and its second attempt may prove equally contentious.
The original DA sought approval for the construction of:
Council, however, refused the application, citing insufficient information regarding site contamination. The site’s historical use as poultry farming land, with Inghams chicken sheds operating there until the mid-1990s, raised red flags.
Though the sheds were demolished and the land remediated prior to the centre’s opening in 1999, Council was not satisfied with the depth of environmental reporting in the original application.
The history of the site is crucial context. Woolworths acquired the land from Inghams and delivered Stage 1 of Carnes Hill Marketplace in 1999, anchored by its own supermarket and around 20 specialty shops.
A major Stage 2 expansion in 2007 added a Big W, 26 more specialty tenants, and a substantial increase in car parking, totalling 926 spaces. The shopping centre now sits on over 65,000 square metres, serving a fast-growing residential corridor stretching from Hoxton Park to Middleton Grange
More recently, Charter Hall, which now owns and manages the site, has sought to intensify use of the precinct’s remaining perimeter lots. Along Cowpasture and Kurrajong Roads, vacant land has been developed into a service station, Domino’s Pizza outlet, and medical centre. A Dan Murphy’s liquor store has also been delivered as a standalone building fronting Cowpasture Road.
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