A significant piece of research launched today, reveals that if we are to plan for Sydney to continue our global competitiveness, cities and centres must be built on access.
The South West Rail Link Extension report prepared by UDIA NSW and Professor David Levinson at the University of Sydney, identifies a key city shaping infrastructure project that presents Government with a critical opportunity to increase accessibility in Sydney’s high-growth LGAs, deliver the housing diversity and density we need and bring jobs and homes closer and opportunity to maximise public transport use.
“NSW needs to take full advantage of the future transport hub opportunities available in Greater Western Sydney, with a notable example being the proposed South-West Rail Link (SWRL) Extension, linking the Nancy Bird Walton Airport and Aerotropolis to Leppington and through to Glenfield,” said Steve Mann, CEO UDIA NSW.
The delivery of diverse housing supply in great urban centres based on 30-minute city principles, with key opportunities around new transport hubs plays an important part in resolving the housing supply and affordability crisis NSW is facing.
The report provides ten key recommendations:
That transport infrastructure and land
- That transport infrastructure and land use and precinct planning is integrated to achieve an Accessibility Oriented Design outcome that will provide up to three stations on the SWRL Extension (Rossmore, South Creek, and Bringelly Road).
- That Sydney Metro prepares the business case for the SWRL Extension with a strong focus on accessibility instead of just travel time savings, where TOD outcomes are given higher weighting to achieve better place outcomes.
- Governance over the land use and transport planning process to be led and coordinated by a lead minister and department/agency, with all other relevant State and local agencies, and ministers having full visibility and involvement.
- That Sydney Metro adopts a “beyond the operational corridor” approach with the preparation of the business case for the SWRL Extension project.
- That a structured market sounding process is undertaken as part of business case processes to determine the potential for additional development outcomes around potential stations sites to ensure the capture of development (and thus patronage) outcomes.
- That budgetary concerns be considered across the whole infrastructure program for Western Parkland City, instead of constraining individual projects.
- That Camden and Liverpool councils engage with the development industry on the drafting of the precinct plan for the Leppington Town Centre to provide planning provisions that achieves the following:
- market-tested and TOD based outcomes;
- the right role and function of the Town Centre aligned with the Aerotropolis as the planned primary CBD in South West Sydney; and
- the amalgamation of fragmented land to encourage redevelopment due to bonuses and incentives through planning-based incentives.
- That Sydney Metro assesses the potential of existing large land holdings as part of the business case for the SWRL Extension, to generate integrated land use and planning outcomes.
- That one key agency/department and minister leads on the integrated precinct planning process for station centres, which covers early land acquisitions, infrastructure business cases and contributions framework.
- That DPE develops a WIK Credit system to open new integrated development pathways
UDIA urges the Government to work closely with industry on the future planning of key station centres that leads to integrated growth outcomes. We also support the use of digital planning tools to deliver better planning outcomes with prioritised infrastructure solutions.
The NSW Government can improve the way rail lines are delivered to support growth, provide a location for housing supply, increase public transport use, support the Aerotropolis as the new City Centre in the Western Parkland City and better link the West with the West.
The full report can be found here
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Media Inquiries:
dlane@udiansw.com.au
0416 295 898