The landmark Western Sydney City Deal, the first City Deal in New South Wales has been signed.
The Western Sydney City Deal will bring together the Australian and NSW Governments , and local governments across Sydney’s West and South-West Districts in a collaborative partnership to realise the potential of Sydney’s outer west.
The City Deal will focus on the West and South West Districts that include the local government areas of Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith, the Blue Mountains and Wollondilly. The population of Western Sydney is set to grow by more than 1 million people over the next 20 years, including almost 500,000 in the West and South West Districts.
“The Western Sydney City Deal is the single largest planning, investment and delivery partnership in the history of this nation”, announced the Federal Government. “The Cities Deal will be centred around Western Sydney Airport – the most significant piece of infrastructure that will ever be built in the region – and passenger rail that will link people to the jobs created around the airport.”
“We will leverage our investments in the airport, planned rail link and key transport infrastructure to make the land use changes and create investment incentives to achieve these ambitious housing and employment targets”.
The Prime Minister said currently 30 per cent of workers in Western Sydney have to travel outside of the area for work, often to Sydney’s CBD and central suburbs.
“We will stop this commuter exodus and support Western Sydney to become an exemplar 30-minute city, using the airport as a catalyst for regional jobs growth and better transport links between the region and the rest of Sydney,” said the Prime Minister.
“The airport presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for long-term growth in Western Sydney which will only be realised with tight coordination and integrated planning across all three levels of governments.” “It means the economic heart of Sydney is moving West.”
Premier Baird said the agreement will be an exemplar of community engagement.
“We welcome this vital initiative by the Turnbull Government for Western Sydney and a commitment to contributing to the funding and delivery of infrastructure to realise the region’s potential,” said the Premier.
“The development of Western Sydney Airport is the most significant economic development initiative in the country and we welcome the commitment of the Turnbull Government to delivering infrastructure to transform the region.”
“This opportunity shows the value of governments with the shared goal of providing jobs and growth for Western Sydney working together to make it happen”, said the Premier.
The Western Sydney City Deal means more affordable housing, new jobs closer to home, better transport and a more liveable city.
The City Deal will capitalise on the unique opportunities presented by this significant economic and population growth – supporting a region that is more liveable and more productive.
The City Deal will focus on:
- An increase in infrastructure investment, including transformative public transport projects, to unlock the economic potential of the region, reduce congestion and support local needs.
- A program of employment and investment attraction to support the development of the region, through reduced business regulation, investment in skills and removing barriers to employment, including a focus on youth and Indigenous employment.
- Improving housing affordability through support for increased supply and housing diversity, including improvements to planning and zoning regulations and higher density developments in appropriate locations.
- Improved environmental and liveability outcomes, including streamlined and coordinated biodiversity conservation, support for clean air, green spaces, vibrant arts and cultural experiences.
- Coordination between governments to deliver regulatory reforms that better integrate infrastructure, land use, housing and environmental planning decisions to facilitate growth.
About City Deals
City Deals are at the centre Federal Governments Smart Cities Plan. On 21 October 2016 the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the NSW Premier, Mike Baird, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise a partnership to work together on City Deals in New South Wales – starting with the Western Sydney City Deal.
Read the Western Sydney City Deal Factsheet.
