A major road linking south-west Sydney to Wollongong has received state government approval for a long-awaited upgrade that accounts for impacts on a growing koala colony.
Key points:
- A plan to upgrade Appin Road south of Campbelltown has won approval from the NSW government after a five-year wait
- The road connects south-south west Sydney to an area rezoned to cater for thousands of new homes
- Wildlife rescue group WIRES has welcomed the inclusion of new features to protect koalas but wants more protections in place
A 5.5-kilometre section of Appin Road between Mount Gilead and Ambarvale is set to be widened, more than five years after plans were submitted.
It is a key road running through the centre of the Macarthur Growth Area on the fringe of Sydney's south-western sprawl, where plans are underway to house 90,000 people between Camden and Wilton.
Developer Lendlease will fund a $170-million roads package to widen a section of Appin road from two to four lanes, next to the 450-home stage 1 of the Figtree Hill housing estate.
Stage 2 is expected to deliver 3,300 homes.
In nearby Appin, population 3,300, plans are underway to add 13,000 homes.
"The upgrade to Appin Road will also deliver protections for koalas and other wildlife with the construction of underpasses and koala fencing," a Lendlease statement said.
"The final design of the underpasses has been determined by Transport for NSW and is based on best practice and comparable underpasses used by koalas elsewhere in NSW."
Transport for NSW has faced criticism for the time it has taken to approve the project and for pushing for changes to the design of two proposed wildlife corridors to run under the road.
"Determining an underpass design that koalas are likely to use, combined with a fencing strategy to stop koalas crossing Appin Road has been a complex undertaking — right down to the shape of the culverts themselves," a Transport for NSW spokesperson said.
"It has taken time to get this right."
Saving koalas numbers is critical to any plan for the area, with 30 koalas deaths on the road recorded in 2023, around 10 per cent of the colony.
Wildlife group wants more
Colin Salter from the wildlife rescue group WIRES welcomes the move to enhance koala protections, saying the decision to use boxed culverts under the road instead of the round pipes earlier proposed by Transport for NSW is the right move.
"They have taken on not just WIRES' feedback but the broader community feedback that that design was inadequate, and they are replacing those with what are called reinforced box culverts," Dr Salter said.
"We would like to see if they are going to go with box culverts to have double box culverts, which means two side by side."
Dr Salter would also like to see a third wildlife corridor located at Mallaty Creek, between the two proposed for Noorumba Reserve and Beulah.
"Mallaty Creek sort of sits in between and it's a highly trafficked area for koalas and other wildlife and there is a high incidence of koalas being killed in that location," he said.
"We suggest that there needs to be another overpass built there as well and many members of the community and other organisations are advocating for that."
Dr Salter said the removal of a significant number of trees along the side of the road where it was set to be widened would also likely have a significant impact on koalas.
Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren said about 12,000 motorists used Appin Road every day and this was expected to grow by about 40 per cent over the next 30 years as the population increased.
Mr Warren said the road widening came in response to community feedback, and the box culvert koala underpasses were being designed in consultation with koala experts.