Residents move into new apartments next to proposed commuter car park site at Engadine

Sutherland Shire Council is awaiting a response after unanimously rejecting the transport authority's proposed site - the council car park adjoining Coles supermarket and the new apartments development, The Gallery.

A council spokeswoman said Transport for NSW submitted an unsolicited proposal in October 2020 to redevelop the council car park as a multi-story building that would include the provision of rail commuter car parking to service Engadine train station.

"Following careful consideration by council staff and deliberation at the ordinary council meeting in December, Sutherland Shire Council opted not to support this proposal," she said.

"This decision was confirmed in writing to TfNSW, with council currently awaiting further advice from TfNSW on its plans to deliver additional commuter car-park in Engadine."

A Transport for NSW spokesman told the Leader the authority was "continuing to work with key stakeholders and will update the community when there is more to say".

D-Ward councillor Diedree Steinwall told the last council meeting she hoped the Jannali experience had taught Transport for NSW lessons about how to treat the community after "ad-hoc promises" were made.

Cr Steinwall said the proposed Engadine site was "still on the books".

"There is an apartment block, called The Gallery, where residents are currently moving in," she said.

"I think they would be very shocked if they were to wake up one day and realise this car park, which the council owns has been taken over and they would be staring at a four to five storey commuter car park."

Cr Steinwall said the site next to Coles was also "quite a considerable way from the station" and the moves were occurring "when the commuter car park on the highway is empty".

Cr Carmelo Pesce said in December Transport for NSW "has to go back to the drawing board".

"They are wanting to build a car park with 210 spaces, which I assume would be four to five levels," he said.

"They haven't taken into account that the site they have proposed is adjoined by new apartment blocks."

Premier Gladys Berejiklian promised a $25 million, multi-storey rail commuter car park with 210-spaces at Engadine during the 2019 state election campaign.

Ms Berejiklian said discussions to acquire a site were underway, to be followed by planning and community consultation. Construction was expected to take 18 months from when a builder was appointed., she said.

A 63-space ground level commuter car park was completed in 2017.

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Council rejects site for Engadine commuter car park