Arada wins approval for $436m Wattle Green homes in Sydney’s Castle Hill

Sydney, Australia - Arada has won planning approval for Wattle Green, a $435.7 million (AED 1.6 billion) community of 445 homes in Castle Hill, its second major development consent in Australia in a matter of weeks.

The UAE-based master developer will build the homes in three buildings on a Showground Precinct site covering more than 14,000 square metres, with Hills Showground Metro Station diagonally across from it.

Consent came from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure shortly after Arada’s London Place scheme in Campsie was approved, and the company described it as another milestone in its push across Sydney.

The state’s planning record lists the project at 2 Fishburn Crescent as State Significant Development SSD-83112728, approved by an Executive Director on 11 November 2026, with the three buildings sitting above two basement parking levels.

Australian practice Turner designed Wattle Green, and Arcadia is the landscape architect. The mix is 54 one-bedroom, 272 two-bedroom, 83 three-bedroom and 36 four-bedroom homes, 25 of which are affordable.

Its tallest element is a 25-storey residential tower, which Arada said is the highest building approved in the Showground Precinct. Two lower-rise blocks, designed to fit in with the neighbourhood around them, make up the rest of the scheme.

According to the developer, the apartments are planned around generous space, comfort and flexibility. They are aimed at families, professionals and downsizers who want the ease of an apartment without giving up room or lifestyle.

Shared facilities will take in a gym, wellness spaces, an outdoor swimming pool, coworking facilities, landscaped podium gardens, communal lounges, private dining rooms and rooftop entertaining areas. Each of the three buildings will also get its own rooftop amenities.

Arada said the station puts residents on direct Metro services to Norwest, Macquarie Park, North Sydney and the Sydney CBD. Castle Towers shopping centre is a single stop away on the Metro, and schools, shops, restaurants, recreation and employment centres are close by.

Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada, said: “When we entered Australia, we knew we were committing for the long term, as genuine believers in the country’s cities and the people who live in them. Castle Hill is our second major approval in Sydney in a matter of months, and we are pushing ahead with our pipeline of projects at a time when we know delivery in this market demands real conviction.”

He added: “Castle Hill is one of Sydney’s most established and desirable residential communities, and Wattle Green presents an exciting opportunity to bring our approach to community-focused development to a location that combines exceptional connectivity with an established lifestyle offering.”

Registrations of interest are due to open in November 2026. Work on site is planned to start in the first quarter of 2027, and the developer expects to finish the project towards the end of 2029.

The approval follows Arada’s move into Queensland with its $1.36bn Broadbeach development in August.

Since arriving in Australia in 2024, Arada has put together a pipeline there of more than 6,000 homes. Across its markets in the UAE, the UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Syria, the group has projects worth more than $50.4 billion (AED 185 billion) in the pipeline and a portfolio of over 70,000 homes.