Menangle Pastoral's proposal includes releasing land for 264 new homes on 800-square-metre lots north of the village, a golf course with another 150 houses on larger blocks and an industrial area they say would create 4400 permanent jobs in the next 30 years.

If approved, the development would also include a boat ramp, sports facilities and conference centre.

Menangle resident Laura Egan-Burt attended a public meeting on Saturday to view the proposal and said she had some concerns.

She said she was worried that the industrial area described by a consultant as ``not dissimilar to Ryde or Norwest'' would not ``fit in well with our picket fences and hedge rows''.

``The proposed sporting ground and boat ramp will be situated near an already undesirable public toilet hang-out near the river,'' she said. ``Who will clean up the rubbish left by pleasure seekers?''

At the meeting, a consultant for the developers said maintaining visual amenity and important views in the area would be central in refining the early structure plan.

``A range of visual mitigation measures are being considered including matching land uses on the site with visual or physical constraints of the terrain, conserving the vegetation around the Nepean River,'' he said.

``We will also provide appropriate landscape buffers and protection of views to and out from heritage precincts such as the railway station, creamery precinct and Gilbulla property.''

Menangle resident Ray Smith said the development would provide work for young people in Wollondilly.

``You can't go protesting over everything,'' he said.

``If we don't want to send young people to work 30 or 40 miles away we need to give them work in the shire.

``We've got the F5 and the station already here.

``They just need to electrify the railway line.

``If there's no impact on the river, it's no problem.''

A rail-port or intermodal terminal will not be built on the industrial site but opportunities to use its connections to the F5 freeway and rail line will be investigated.