Chicken Farmers, City Shapers: The Genesis of Celestino’s Western Megaproject

After flying somewhat under the radar despite the size and impact of its projects, Celestino Property Development’s latest city-creating project will be hard to miss. The Sydney developer—part of the Baiada Group, one of Australia’s largest poultry producers and owners of Lilydale—has submitted concept plans for a 271ha mixed-use greenfield development 3km from the new Western Sydney International Airport. Current planning approvals for the Sydney Science Park site, hard fought over the years , allow for 3400 homes, 30,000sqm of retail space and a minimum of 150,000sq m of commercial space. The vision, says chief executive Matthew Scard, is to create in Sydney’s west a smart city built around a research, development, education, commercialisation and innovation hub. Greenfield masterplanning The Australian-owned family business was officially founded in 2015, but Celestino’s roots go back to 1916 when company founder Celestino ‘Charlie’ Baiada, aged 14, arrived in Australia from Malta. Baiada bought his first property, so the story goes, at Pendle Hill in 1928 for £400, saved from his wages as a kitchen hand. That site, west of the Sydney CBD, remains home to the company’s headquarters. The wider group over time diversified into chicken farming, but continued to grow its property development capabilities. It acquired the Sydney site for its latest project, at 565-601 Luddenham Road, in 2010. Rezoning to make way for the proposed city was completed in 2016 , supported by the Penrith City Council and the NSW Government. Celestino also formed partnerships with the likes of Macquarie University to ensure the $5-billion Sydney Science Park project would be a “city of the future ”. ▲ Source: Celestino January 2025. Artist’s impression only. Subject to approvals. “After the site received rezoning approval in 2016, the development landscape was transformed with a new focus on the Aerotropolis,” Scard says. This led to a new state planning framework being introduced to the site in 2022. This identified it as a “flagship site” in the Aerotropolis Planning Framework. “Celestino has adapted to these evolving circumstances while remaining committed to its original vision,” Scard says. Meanwhile it has created employment housing and amenity-driven masterplanned communities at The Gables in Box Hill—selling a large section to Stockland in 2020 for $415 million—as well as current projects including Jacaranda at Glossodia, in the Hawkesbury region of NSW, and Riverbend in Queensland. The wider group is less of a stranger to publicity. Celestino’s grandson, John Camilleri, a billionaire champion horse breeder, also dabbles in apartment projects including a $30-million, 40-storey Gold Coast development filed last year. The plan for Sydney’s west While it is early days yet, Celestino’s plans for the site are big. Very big. Willowtree Planning’s scoping report for the project’s first State Significant Development Application (SSDA) details an urban structure plan for the development of superlots and key infrastructure for the site, as well as staged development plans. “This is an essential step towards activating Sydney Science Park and demonstrates Celestino’s confidence and continued commitment to the vision for the park,” Scard says. ▲ Celestino Developments chief executive Matthew Scard. SJB Architects is designing the $808-million early stages of the project, including the Stage 1 development that includes subdividing the site into 10 lots, and estate works on the western portion of the land fronting Luddenham Road and the upcoming Luddenham Metro Station. Celestino has to date made significant investments in the planning and delivery of infrastructure works at Sydney Science Park. Already onsite is a nearing-completion water-recycling hub as well as a Transgrid electricity transmission line. The filing of the SSDA is expected in the early part of this year, Scard says, enabling project-wide activities such as civil works and water cycle management. Fate plays its hand The developer acquired its site ahead of the announcement of Badgerys Creek as the site for the Western Sydney International Airport. It means the Celestino site is in the Aerotropolis growth precinct leveraging the airport to become “an economic powerhouse driving the productivity of NSW and Western Sydney in the coming decades”. The Celestino project is “crucial in activating development within the Northern Gateway Precinct”, according to the scoping report. ▲ Source: Celestino January 2025. Artist’s impression only. Subject to approvals. The Aerotropolis population is expected to top 85,000 people by 2056, and be concentrated in the Core and Northern Gateway Precincts. That population will fuel the need for 30,000 new homes. Meanwhile, the Western Sydney Airport line is moving ahead—Luddenham’s train station is due to open in 2026. The population growth, transport links and hype are a heady combination, and one Celestino says it is well positioned to take advantage of. “We have a long history in Western Sydney and are dedicated to supporting the creation of jobs, community amenities and housing supply in the area,” Scard says. You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

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