A 28-hectare semi-rural pocket of Ingleside could be turned into a 536-home estate, with residents objecting to the scale of the proposal, bushfire evacuation risks and the pressure it could place on local roads and infrastructure.
A large section of semi-rural land at Ingleside has been earmarked for a new residential estate with houses, terraces and apartments.
The proposal covers 18 properties in the Wilga Wilson Precinct, across land at 1–9 Wilson Avenue, 7–14 Wilga Street and 212–222 Powderworks Road.
The precinct sits east of Monash Country Club and is bounded by Powderworks Road, Wilga Street and Wilson Avenue.
Mirvac and Truslan own seven of the 18 lots involved in the proposal. The remaining lots are privately held, with one owned by St Sava Serbian Orthodox Church.
If approved through the required planning steps, the estate would include about 536 homes. The housing mix would comprise 133 detached houses, 210 terraces and 193 apartments, with apartment buildings reaching up to six storeys.
The proposal would shift the site from semi-rural holdings to a denser residential precinct, with the developers seeking changes to the Pittwater Local Environmental Plan to allow residential development on the land.
Locals Object to Scale and Safety Risks
The proposal has drawn strong local opposition, with close to 570 submissions received when it was put forward for comment.
Only 39 submissions supported changing the planning controls to allow the subdivision.
Residents raised concerns about bushfire evacuation, ember attack, traffic, infrastructure pressure and the possible loss of Ingleside’s semi-rural character.
The precinct is less than a kilometre from Garigal National Park, adding to concern about how residents would leave the area during a bushfire emergency.
Concerns were also raised about access to high-frequency public transport and whether existing community infrastructure could support housing at the proposed scale.
NBC did not support the proposal at its meeting on 17 February 2026, after the planning proposal was submitted on 5 August 2025.
Panel Recommends Next Planning Step
The Sydney North Planning Panel has recommended the proposal proceed towards a Gateway determination, which would allow it to move closer to public exhibition.
The panel also recommended further work on the proposal, including housing types, affordable housing, building heights, development controls and the delivery of critical infrastructure.
The recommendation does not approve construction of the estate. Further planning steps would still be required before any homes could be built.
Developers Say Risks Have Been Considered
The developers’ masterplan states that bushfire risks and evacuation requirements have been considered in the design of the proposal.
It also states the road network has been designed to allow the site to be evacuated promptly.
The proposal has also been presented as a response to housing demand, with a mix of detached homes, terraces and apartments planned across the precinct.
An earlier Ingleside housing plan that would have allowed close to 1000 new homes was scrapped in 2022 after concerns were raised about bushfire evacuation, traffic, transport and the cost of public infrastructure.
The Wilga Wilson Precinct proposal now remains subject to further planning assessment before any redevelopment of the land could proceed.
Published 25-June-2026
