Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment
- Details
- Written by: Teela Griffin Penrith City Council (02) 4732 7777 (02) 4732 7958 council@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au https://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au 601 High St Penrith NSW 2750 Australia
Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment is an innovative project by Penrith City Council to revitalise public spaces and deliver a new residential offering to the suburb.
As part of the Greater Western Sydney region, Erskine Park is located 42 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is approximately 20 kilometres from both the Penrith and Parramatta CBD’s. It's a thriving, established community that provides an abundance of parks, excellent transport links and amenities.
Penrith City Council has combined its extensive experience in urban planning and design to rejuvenate underutilised public open space reserves into vibrant new residential places to grow the Erskine Park community. This exciting opportunity will feature fourteen residential lots.
To stay up to date on the project please email
Public Open Space Transformation
Council identified open space sites in Erskine Park that were underutilised or in need of an upgrade to meet resident’s expectations, as part of its Open Space Reinvestment Project. As a result, six sites have been rezoned for residential development with the proceeds from the sale of this land going directly into improving targeted open space and public domain areas within Erskine Park.
Council has already forward funded $2.65 million of open space and public domain improvements from the anticipated sale of these sites including:
- Four kilometres of continuous footpaths along the Swallow and Peppertree loop road
- Redevelopment Pacific and Phoenix Reserve
- Redevelopment Spica Reserve
- Redevelopment Skylark Reserve
- Erskine Park entrance beautification
- Redevelopment Capella Reserve
- Amenity and storage building at Chameleon Reserve alongside the existing netball courts
- Chameleon Reserve Masterplan
- Chameleon Reserve co-funding of the Five Million Trees Grant in-line with the masterplan, which delivered $300k in tree planting
It is anticipated that the remainder of the funds generated from the sale of the land will be directed towards the implementation of the Chameleon Reserve masterplan.
Once complete, the project will inject approx. $5 million back into Erskine Park and contribute to Penrith City Council’s vision for creating a more liveable and contemporary community that is adapting to the future needs of residents.
Council’s forward funded open space and public domain improvements are highlighted in the video below.
What is the Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment project?
The Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment project is part of Council’s Open Space Reinvestment Project (OSRP), which commenced via a pilot in Erskine Park and St Clair in Oct 2015. The OSRP identified open space sites in Erskine Park that were underutilised or in need of an upgrade to meet resident’s expectations.
The Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment project provides the delivery mechanism to transform this land from underutilised public open space into residential land; with the funds raised returned to open space improvements.
As a result, six sites have been rezoned for residential development with the proceeds from the sale of this land going directly into improving targeted open space and public domain areas within Erskine Park. The selected improvements were identified during the community consultation phase of the OSRP and are outlined in the Erskine Park Open Space Masterplan Report.
It is anticipated that once complete, the project will inject approx. $5 million back into Erskine Park and contribute to Penrith City Council’s vision for creating a more attractive and safer place to live as well as adapting to the future needs of residents.
Is there more information on the Open Space Reinvestment Project?
As part of the Open Space Reinvestment Project (OSRP), Council undertook a community engagement process to seek community feedback on where improvements could be made in the suburb, the types of upgrades and facilities needed, and which underutilised spaces might be used to fund these improvements.
To successfully close out the OSRP, Council will be delivering quality residential outcomes for the suburb through the Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment project to honour the community consultation commitments. It will also deliver the public domain and open space improvements in the locality, as promised from funds generated from the sale of the land.
In November 2019, the OSRP received two prestigious awards from the Planning Institute Australia (NSW) in the Best Planning Idea – Small Project and Hard-Won Victory categories. This is a testament to the extensive planning of the project to deliver the best public space outcomes for the community of Erskine Park.
For more information on the Rezoning Phase of the Open Space Reinvestment project visit the Penrith LEP 2010 (Amendment No.19) webpage.
How long will the redevelopment take to complete?
We expect the subdivision construction phase to commence in 2024, with marketing and sales expected to commence in 2024-2025.
When will land be available for sale?
Following subdivision construction, the sites will be sold to the market in 2024- 2025.
If you would like to register your interest, please email
What public open spaces has Council already improved?
Council has already forward funded $2.65 million of open space and public domain improvements including:
- Four kilometres of continuous footpaths along the Swallow and Peppertree loop road
- New footpath adjoining Spica Reserve
- Upgrade of Spica Reserve in 2018 with a new playground, shelter, picnic areas, seating, timber and rail boundary fence and gate, sandstone blocks, tree planting, landscaping and public art that delivers an innovative seating area
- Upgrade of Skylark Reserve in 2018 with a new playground, shade sail, seating, timber and rail boundary fence and gate, sandstone blocks, tree planting and landscaping
- Upgrade of Phoenix Reserve in 2017 with new play equipment, softfall and splashpad area, shade sails, footpaths, shelter, picnic areas, seating, sandstone blocks, bins and bubblers as well as extensive tree planting and landscaping
- Erskine Park entrance beautification in 2017
- Amenity and storage building delivered in 2016 at Chameleon Reserve alongside the netball courts
- Chameleon Reserve co-funding of the Five Million Trees Grant in-line with the masterplan, which delivered $300k in tree planting in 2021
- Upgrade of Capella Reserve in 2024 with new spaces to socialise, additional seating, an accessible picnic table with a shelter, new bins, water drinking fountain, new pathways, trees and native landscaping as well as a unique sculpture.
View the ‘Public Open Space Upgrades’ gallery on the right-hand side of the website for images of the new upgrades. Improvements are also planned for Chameleon Reserve.
What is currently happening onsite?
Council has appointed a contractor to manage the subdivision and civil construction for the Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment Project. Civil construction is an essential step to prepare the land for future home construction by connecting services to the site such as sewer, electricity and communications.
The contractor, Masport, will be subdividing the land into fourteen residential lots per the subdivision Development Application approvals. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2024.
What impact will the development have on local traffic?
Preliminary traffic and parking modelling studies were prepared to support the rezoning phase of the project. These will be reviewed and updated to ensure the development can be supported using the existing road network into the future. The sites also provide easy access to several key bus routes, encouraging residents to reduce their reliance on cars.
How will this development fit in with the local community?
The Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment project has been designed to fit in seamlessly with the surrounding community see here. Design guidelines have also been created for the residential buildings and open space to ensure consistency with the character of the suburb.
Why is this site being developed for housing?
Penrith City Council has a responsibility to improve local amenity and housing diversity in the local government area for current and future generations. The sites at Erskine Park have been carefully considered for redevelopment to provide maximum value to the community, with minimal disruption to the neighbourhood.
Will there be any retail or commercial space built as part of the Erskine Park Urban Reinvestment Project?
There will be no commercial or retail opportunities available as part of this project.
When will the marketing and sale of the sites commence?
It is anticipated that the marketing and sale of the constructed sites will commence in 2024-2025. To register your interest please email
What community consultation was undertaken during the planning for the redevelopment?
Penrith City Council worked closely with local residents and key stakeholders from 2015-2018 to shape the future redevelopment of these sites.
Community engagement has included:
- Use of pre-engagement focus groups to establish project acceptance
- Consultation with key stakeholder groups including local schools, interest groups, government agencies and surrounding residents and businesses
- Extensive research to determine what sites the community valued
- A series of community and online forums to help shape the open space improvements in the suburb
- A public comment period for the open space draft master plan report
- Statutory consultation during the rezoning phase.
