Thursday 30 April 2020 (Sydney, Australia) — The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) NSW has been urging the government to consider Camellia metro station as the first choice for an eastern Parramatta CBD Metro West station.

“Rydalmere never made sense as a metro station, but a Camellia station presents the opportunity of a generation for Sydney’s vision to be a globally competitive, polycentric city,” said UDIA NSW chief executive Steve Mann.

“This project will have a 100-year plus footprint. This is not the time for short-term thinking about the city of today and ignoring the future city potential Camellia Town Centre generates as an integrated part of the Parramatta CBD, said Mr Mann.

“As Parramatta transforms into Greater Sydney’s true second CBD, we must reconceptualise the suburbs immediately adjacent as thriving mixed-use inner-city suburbs.

“A new strategic centre at Camelia can be connected by metro rail, light rail and ferry creating the necessary connectivity to be a vibrant mixed-use jobs and entertainment hub for the Central River City,” said Mr Mann.

The Central River city needs to be comprised of three metro stations – Westmead, Parramatta, Camellia – to elevate the city’s CBD status and future capacity. By comparison, the Eastern CBD has eight stations in a similar footprint.

The Greater Sydney Commission’s (GSC) ‘retain and manage’ prescription for the precinct restricted the vision for this site. This misplaced designation ignored the decades long decline in employment across the former heavy industrial precinct and Camellia’s strategic location within the Greater Parramatta to Olympic Park Peninsula (GPOP).

Research undertaken Value Advisory Partners for UDIA has modelled the impact of leaving Camellia in its current state, with the gap between the base case and a revitalised precinct creating up to 40,000 jobs between now and 2050. With the metro line due for completion in 2030, this would have been the driver for the majority of urban renewal.

“As we look to recover from this COVID-19 economic crisis, it is crucial that the major transport projects that we commence are the city shaping projects like Metro West, that bring with them the development opportunities and jobs which we need to rebuild our economy and grow the liveability of our cities,” said Mr Mann.

With tunnelling due to commence in 2022 – it is not too late for Government to reconsider a station to the eastern end of the Parramatta CBD.

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Media Contact: Mia Kwok 0435 361 697 media@udiansw.com.au

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