Your Voice Camden
A draft Planning Proposal for land at 5 Smalls Road, Grasmere (the subject site) is currently on public exhibition until Thursday 2 April 2026.
The Planning Proposal is an application to amend planning controls applying to the subject site in the Camden Environmental Plan 2010 and the Camden Development Control Plan (DCP) 2019.
The Planning Proposal Package includes an amended masterplan, height of building map, draft DCP and supporting technical studies.
Summary of the Proposal
The proposal seeks to facilitate a range of seniors housing and care options, including independent living units, assisted living and a residential aged care facility. The proposal also includes a neighbourhood centre and childcare facility on the corner of Smalls and Werombi Roads.
This will be facilitated by the following proposed amendments to the Camden LEP 2010 by:
The proposal also seeks to amend the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 to exclude some of the height related provisions from applying to the subject site. This is to allow development on the site to be built to the proposed HOB standards under the Camden LEP 2010.
Proposed Development Control Plan
The draft Planning Proposal is accompanied by proposed amendments to the Camden DCP 2019 which seek to introduce site specific controls for the subject site and insert the proposed neighbourhood centre into the Camden Centre's Hierarchy in Section 5.1.
Share Your Thoughts
We welcome your feedback about the draft Planning Proposal package and draft DCP by Thursday 2 April 2026.
You can make a submission by:
Step 1: Review the Planning Proposal Package and proposed DCP amendment.
This can be done via the 'Exhibition Documents' tab below. A high-level summary of the proposed amendments is provided at the bottom of this webpage.
Copies of the Planning Proposal Report and Draft Development Control Plan Amendments are also available at Council's libraries and Oran Park Administration Building.
Step 2: Make a submission by 2 April 2026.
You can also make a submission through any of the following methods:
All submissions must be received by Thursday, 2 April 2026.
A planning proposal is an application to amend planning controls within an Environmental Planning Instrument (EPI). The applicable EPI for this proposal is the Camden Local Environmental 2010 (Camden LEP).
A planning proposal may propose to change the zoning, permitted land uses, or development standards, such as building height, that apply to one or multiple properties.
Planning proposals can be prepared by Council or an applicant (i.e. landowner, developer).
No, a planning proposal is the first step in the process to amend the planning controls applying to land. A formal development application to develop the site would be required, should the planning proposal proceed. Development under the new controls can only occur once the planning proposal has been finalised, and a subsequent development application is approved.
The Camden LEP is the principal Environmental Planning Instrument (EPI) for guiding development and land use in the Camden Local Government Area (LGA). It establishes zones that allow certain types of uses and standards that regulate the kind of development that can occur in the LGA. This Planning Proposal seeks to make amendments to the zoning, lot size and additional permitted uses map within the Camden LEP 2010 which apply to the subject site.
The State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 (Housing SEPP) facilitates the development of affordable and diverse housing. The Housing SEPP sets statewide planning provisions for diverse housing options such as boarding houses, build-to-rent housing, seniors housing, secondary dwellings (Granny flats) and design quality of residential apartment development.
A Gateway determination (Gateway) is a document issued by the State Government which decides whether a Planning Proposal should proceed. If a favourable Gateway is received, the Gateway identifies the requirements for public exhibition of the planning proposal and what additional specialist studies (for example a stormwater management study) are required to support the proposal.
The intent of the Planning Proposal has not changed since it was reported to Council in July 2025. The proposal seeks to amend the Camden Local Environmental Plan 2010 to facilitate a seniors housing and residential aged care facility with ancillary commercial and community uses.
However, several documents have been updated in response to the Gateway determination. You can view the current planning proposal documents in the 'Exhibition Documents' tab.
In accordance with the Gateway Determination, the Planning Proposal now also seeks to amend the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 to exclude some of the height related provisions from applying to the subject site. This is to allow development on the site to be built to the proposed HOB standards under the Camden LEP.
At the end of the public exhibition period Council officers will consider the submissions and prepare a post exhibition report to Council.
Council will be asked to determine whether the planning proposal should proceed to finalisation.
Proposed Masterplan
The Planning Proposal seeks to facilitate the development of a range of seniors housing and care options, including independent living units (ILUs), assisted living apartments and a residential aged care facility (RACF). The proposal also includes a neighborhood centre and childcare facility on corner of Smalls and Werombi Roads. The development of the site will be guided by the proposed Masterplan which is included in the draft DCP and shown in the image below.
Draft Masterplan for 5 Smalls Road Grasmere
Proposed Building Heights and Storeys
The proposal seeks a targeted increase in building heights on internal parts of the site while reducing the building height at the edge of the site. The proposed changes to the building heights are achieved by:
The proposed height controls are supported by a detailed study into the topography of the site. To strengthen height controls a building storey map has been inserted into the draft DCP. The proposed Height of Building Map and Buildings Storeys Map are shown in the figures below.
Proposed Height of Building Map
Proposed Building Storeys Map
Additional Permitted Uses
The Planning Proposal seeks to introduce 'food and drink premises' and a 'function centre' as additional permitted use (APU) on the subject site to facilitate a restaurant and function centre within the proposed 'Recreation Building'. The location of these uses will be controlled by the proposed APU map shown below. The proposed 500sqm GFA cap will restrict the size of the 'function centre'.
Proposed Additional Permitted Uses Map
Proposed amendment to the E1 Local Centre Zone Boundary
A portion of the subject site on the corner of Smalls and Werombi Roads is zoned E1 Local Centre. The Planning Proposal seeks to adjust the boundary of the E1 zone to fully accommodate accessibility and parking requirements of the proposed neighbourhood centre. This proposed reconfiguration is shown in the image below. Proposed controls in the draft DCP will guide the neighbourhood centre layout which has been designed to minimise visual impact while promoting public activation.
Proposed Reconfiguration of the E1 Zone Boundary
Previous Rezoning of the Subject Site
In December 2018, the subject site was rezoned from R5 Large Lot Residential to part R2 Low Density Residential, part E2 (now C2) Environmental Conservation and part B1 Neighbourhood Centre (now E1 Local Centre) to facilitate a seniors housing development on the site. The existing zoning of the subject site is shown in the image below.
Planning Proposal Lodgement and Previous Notifications
In July 2020, the proponent lodged the draft Planning Proposal with Council, concurrently with a Development Application (DA). The DA was withdrawn in September 2020.
Community members were first notified of the draft Planning Proposal in August/October 2020 and a second notification occurred in March/April 2022.
Camden Local Planning Panel
The draft Planning Proposal was reported to the Camden Local Planning Panel (CLPP) in July 2022. After amendments were made to the proposal in response to community submissions and CLPP advice the proposal was reported to the CLPP for a second time in April 2024. The minutes from the CLPP meetings can be found under the 'Exhibition Documents' tab.
Council Meeting 2024
At its meeting on 9 July 2024, Council considered the draft proposal and deferred the item for the following:
Third Notification
Following Council's decision to defer the proposal, the proposal was notified for further community consultation from 18 September to 30 October 2025.
Council Meeting 2025
At its meeting on 8 July 2025 Council considered the proposal for a second time and resolved to support the proposal to proceed to Gateway determination.
Gateway Determination
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) issued a Gateway determination on 18 November 2025. The Gateway determination conditioned that updates be made to several of the technical studies prior to public exhibition. The proponent has supplied the following in response to the Gateway determination:
These technical studies and the rest of the planning proposal package can be view in the 'Exhibition Documents' tab.
