16 December 2010
The NSW Government today released the Metropolitan Plan for Sydney 2036, which is the outcome of its review of the 2005 Metropolitan Strategy.
Under the new plan:
- At least 80 per cent of all new homes must be within walking distance of employment and retail centres with good public transport links.
- 70 per cent of future housing growth is to be in infill areas, and 30 per cent to be greenfield.
- At least 50 per cent of jobs are to be in western Sydney, including a proposed doubling of projected employment in south-west Sydney.
- The role of Parramatta as Sydney’s second CBD is to be strengthened as part of a network of 34 strategic centres.
- Most greenfield development will be focused in Sydney’s “established growth centres”. There will be no new significant development fronts, other than the Growth Centres, until the next five yearly comprehensive review of the Metropolitan Plan. The Government will conduct a land supply assessment annually (or more frequently if required) to determine whether more land should be released. If more land is needed, precincts within the Growth Centres and strategy-consistent land release requests outside the Growth Centres will be considered. Land release decisions must maintain the integrity of “urban containment”.
- There is an outline of long-term urban renewal and freight corridors that will be further investigated.
Measures built within the plan “to ensure it is implemented” include a public annual update
report, expanded performance indicators and a new Metropolitan Plan Delivery Group.
The material released today is lengthy, and its full implications are not yet clear. The NSW Opposition will not necessarily be bound by the document (it includes, for example, the Parramatta to Epping rail link, which the Opposition has said they will drop, in favour of the North West rail link).
A new website has been established to host the plan and associated support material. It is here.
The Government’s media release is here and the Urban Taskforce’s initial media release is here.
