Snowboarding and skiing in Penrith in three years time? If Penrith developer Peter Magnisalis has his way, it could be a reality with a $200 million world class indoor winter sports complex proposed near Panthers.
Mr Magnisalis has unveiled plans for the Australian-first Winter Sports World with an indoor ski slope designed to be one of the top 10 of its kind in the world. It will also include ice climbing.
A planning proposal submission for the 2.35 hectare site at the corner of Jamison Road and Tench Avenue was put before Penrith City Council at the end of June. It will need to get council and state government approval.
The Local Environment Plan for the area would need changing, Mr Magnisalis said, as the 300 metre ski run required the building to be 54 metres towards the rear – six times over the zoning height limit for the area.
“It’s all dictated by the slope,” he said.
“We’re only going the height because we want the 300 metre slope for the elite athletes... which brings the investment. There’s very minimal shadowing because of the setback.”
Mr Magnisalis said he was “giving back” to the community and his “aspirational” development was expected to generate around 896 direct and indirect jobs during construction and $145 million to the local economy.
“If approved, the centre has the potential to significantly contribute to Penrith’s goal of creating 2,000 new jobs in the tourism sector by 2031 and doubling the number of visitors to the city by 2025, and in strengthening its ‘adventure capital’ offering.
“When operational, it would generate around 759 direct and indirect jobs and contribute approximately $74.9 million to the NSW economy per annum, with a forecast 231,000 people expected to visit the centre and local Penrith area by 2025,” he said.
Mr Magnisalis said Winter Sports World would help strengthen Penrith’s claim as the ‘Adventure Capital of NSW’, with the centre incorporating a diverse raft of year-round winter-sports facilities.
There will also be a 170 room hotel, an ice skating rink, ice and rock climbing area and an 80 metre learners slope.
“Underpinning this concept is an indoor ski centre with a ski slope designed to be one of the top 10 high performance training centres in the world,” Mr Magnisalis.
A former winter Olympian, Stephen Edwards, will act as the centre’s performance director and said the new facility would save Australian winter athletes from “spending half the year overseas” because it offered a year-round training facility for alpine skiing, freestyle and snowboarding.
Mr Edwards, one of Australia’s best known alpine ski coaches, said: “This facility will change the performance of winter sports in Australia, especially with respect to all disciplines. Being able to train on an all-year-round facility will allow athletes to focus on their skills and technique in an environment where all weather conditions are controlled.”
WSW is located within the Riverlink Precinct bounded by the eastern bank of the Nepean River to the west, Mulgoa Road to the east, the M4 Motorway to the south and the Western Railway line to the north.
The project would be designed by leading sustainable architecture practice Environa Studio and aims to be carbon neutral.
Architect Tone Wheeler said: “Rather than the industrial-style shopping-centre-cum-indoor-ski-slopes of old, we wanted a building that contributed positively in every way to its surroundings. The winter use areas have been designed essentially as a giant ‘esky’, with multi-layered levels of insulation and few if any windows, with a high efficiency mechanical plant making both chilled air and snow or ice.”
“The entire operation, including the hotel, will run from a 1.2 megawatt power supply of photovoltaic solar cells on the roof, the equivalent of 220 homes with PV panels, run through an onsite battery storage facility.”
The building would drop to eight metres at its western elevation facing the Nepean River. They hope to open the venue by 2021.