Plans for a new major public hospital in Bankstown are progressing, with NSW Health advancing a State Significant Development application for a large hospital campus on Chapel Road.
The proposal relates to land at 490 Chapel Road, Bankstown, within the Canterbury-Bankstown local government area. The project is being pursued as State Significant Development, reflecting both its scale and its strategic role in the south-west Sydney health network.
A new hospital for the Bankstown city centre
The proposed hospital site is located within the Bankstown city centre, approximately 700 metres north of Bankstown Railway Station and around 19 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD.
The landholding has an area of about 3.8 hectares and is generally rectangular in shape. It is bounded by Chapel Road to the east, French Avenue to the south, La Salle Catholic College to the north, and sporting fields to the west.
The site is currently occupied by the Bankstown TAFE campus, which includes eight buildings and at-grade car parking. As a result, the proposal represents a significant shift in land use, replacing an education facility with major health infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the site’s proximity to public transport places the future hospital within walking distance of the rail network and the broader Bankstown commercial core.
Scope and scale of the proposal
Development consent is sought for construction and operation of a new health services facility comprising two primary built forms.
The proposal includes a 14-storey hospital building with rooftop plant, supported by a 10-storey logistics and multi-storey car parking building. Together, these buildings form the core operational elements of the hospital campus.
Additional works include demolition of an existing structure known as Building D, site preparation including earthworks, new vehicular access points, internal roads, on-grade parking, utility diversions, building foundations, signage and landscaping.
The estimated development cost exceeds $30 million. Therefore, the proposal meets the threshold for State Significant Development under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Planning Systems) 2021. As a result, the project will be assessed by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure rather than the local council.
Land ownership and site consolidation
The hospital site is currently subject to multiple land ownerships.
Two parcels are owned by TAFE NSW, while Raw Avenue, which runs through the centre of the site, is owned by Canterbury-Bankstown Council.
Draft commercial terms are being prepared to enable transfer of the TAFE land to the Health Administration Corporation. In addition, the Health Administration Corporation intends to compulsorily acquire Raw Avenue from council at a future stage.
Once these processes are complete, the land will be consolidated into a single hospital campus with continuous frontage to Chapel Road.
Because of this staged approach, the project highlights the complexities associated with delivering large-scale public infrastructure within established urban environments.
Early works and project sequencing
A range of separate infrastructure works have already been approved on the site under alternative statutory pathways.
These works were approved prior to the current request for Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements and are being carried out under Part 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and as development without consent under the Transport and Infrastructure SEPP.
The approved works include demolition activities, site clearing, tree relocation, utility adjustments, construction of a temporary internal driveway and installation of site hoarding.
These early works are intended to enable efficient sequencing and accelerate delivery of the new hospital. However, they are separate to the State Significant Development application and will not be approved retrospectively as part of that process.
As a result, the SSD application focuses on the permanent hospital buildings and operational infrastructure.
Project Team
- Developer and applicant: Health Administration Corporation
- Delivery agency: Health Infrastructure
- Town planning: Colliers Urban Planning
- Architect: Architectus
- Project partnership: Billard Leece Partnership
For more information, search the application number (SSD-105396208) on the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s website.
