Green-Lit Masterplan For The Orchards Delivers A New Publicly Accessible Park For The Hills

Two hectares of protected green space, a network of cycle and walkways, a natural water treatment system flowing into a restored water course, and a park of endangered native trees and heritage listed pines are just some of the natural features of The Orchards masterplan apartment development, which has just received approval by Hills Shire Council.

Designed for the newly-named suburb of Norwest and set to be built by global award-winning developer, Sekisui House, The Orchards creates more than four football fields worth of open space for the Hills as usable publicly accessible parkland and leisure facilities.  Stage one of the $1 billion, 1,300-apartment precinct is already underway, with full masterplan completion expected in 2025.

Stage one of The Orchards, which was DA-approved in July 2017 and incorporates 121 one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments across two buildings, is due for completion in January 2019.  Called Imperial, this first stage will be followed by six more phases of construction across the 8.8 hectare site.

According to Sekisui House sales and marketing operations manager Paul Wainwright, most of the first buyers in The Orchards are coming from the Hills, either as current residents or people who grew up in, and want to move back to the Garden Shire.

"The Hills is one of the fastest-growing parts of Sydney.  We're seeing unprecedented growth in both residential and infrastructure development here, and there is naturally a lot of attention being paid to what is getting approved for construction.

"The Orchards is the new benchmark against which all future residential developments in the Hills should be measured.  The fact that we're seeing most interest coming from people who already live in this part of Sydney, and agree with our vision for protecting the natural beauty of the place, is really exciting.

"Council's decision to approve our masterplan for The Orchards will give confidence to those who have already bought into our vision for the precinct that what they see on the plans is going to be built.  We can now step up our timetable on locking in details for each stage of the development, and in particular start planning for stage two," Mr Wainwright said.

Drawing inspiration from the region's rich history and heritage as home to the Hills' first orange groves, The Orchards will integrate the natural heritage of the Garden Shire with Sekisui House's superior quality construction and design, as well as a broad range of community facilities and attractions within the precinct.

The Orchards will fuse nature, health and wellbeing with luxurious boutique amenities and urban vibrancy, which is the hallmark of the Sekisui House design principles. 

The new parklands surrounding the site will be a signature feature, with walking tracks, cycleways, naturally-filtered cascading rainwater gardens, a woodland forest of preserved Cumberland Plain trees, flowing creek and gateway of heritage Bunya pines, taking Norwest’s urban rejuvenation to a new level.

The revitalisation of Strangers Creek, which runs through the site, is already underway.  It will border one of several community plazas planned throughout the precinct incorporating pools, a cafe, outdoor fitness equipment, boutique retail and other lifestyle and recreational facilities.

Showpiece resident and community facilities across The Orchards will include a rooftop skypark, an Active Zone incorporating a multi-purpose, multi-level fitness centre and indoor pool, an outdoor cinema and youth facilities including music studio and games room.

Approval of The Orchards masterplan development has arrived in time to take full advantage of the new rail link through the Hills in 2019.  In addition to sharing a border with the Castle Hill Country Club and across from the under-construction Bella Vista Primary School, which is also due for completion in 2019, The Orchards is walking distance to shops, rail and the Norwest Business Park.

One of the world’s largest residential development companies, Sekisui House has a reputation for building sustainable communities in harmony with nature and with superior design and technology. Among its many achievements is an MIPM Best Innovative Green Building award for the landmark One Central Park, Broadway.

"One thing that sets Sekisui House apart is its commitment to responsible development," Mr Wainwright said. 

"Sekisui House builds homes to last, with a very high level of attention to protecting the environments those homes are built in.  I think one of the reasons Hills Shire Council approved our masterplan is the clear evidence that we'll be bringing that commitment to The Orchards.

“Our meticulous Japanese quality standards, attention to design detail and commitment to excellence is a feature of everything we do.  The Orchards will become a sustainable, prosperous community where people want to live, work and enjoy their lives for generations.”

The Orchards display apartment, located on Fairway Drive in Norwest, is currently open for inspection.  

Click here to read more about The Orchards Masterplan approval in The Urban Developer. 
Click here to read more about The Orchards Masterplan approval in The Australian. 
Click here to read more about The Orchards Masterplan approval in The Hills Shire Times. 
Click here to read more about The Orchards Masterplan approval in the Australian Broker. 
Click here to read more about The Orchards Masterplan approval in Realestate.com.au.