27 July 2015
The announcement that the Minister for Planning has supported the rezoning of 287 hectares for the Sydney Science Park in Penrith demonstrates the importance of mixed use zoning, says the Urban Taskforce.
“The approval by the Minister for Planning of the Gateway proposal for Penrith’s Sydney Science Park demonstrates government support for a mixture of jobs, dwellings, retail, research and educational uses,” says Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson. “In the past governments have been focussed on using inflexible land use zoning that only provided jobs and not housing in locations like these but this seems to be changing which is good news.”
“The Urban Taskforce has long championed mixed use development where people can live close to jobs and precincts can gain from a more cosmopolitan bustling environment. The Sydney Science Park is proposed to be zoned B4 Mixed Use and B7 Business Park. The proposal for the 287 hectare site at Luddenham includes:
• 3,400 dwellings (mix of typologies);
• 12,000 knowledge base jobs;
• Retail space;
• Education floor space and student accommodation;
• Research and development floor area;
• Primary school site;
• New roads and infrastructure;
• Landscaped open space and sporting fields.
“This proposed rezoning will hopefully set the precedent for more mixed use development in the Broader Western Sydney Employment Area.”
“The Urban Taskforce recently called for a similar ‘mixed use’ approach to the Sydney Employment Lands in South Sydney where the City of Sydney proposed only affordable housing in two small pockets along with employment uses in a 265 hectares precinct. The area of the two precincts is very similar so we would see the Penrith approach as having some relevance to the South Sydney site.”
“To encourage mixed use developments like the Science Park, the NSW Government will need to review its approach to zoning as outlined in the 2013 White Paper on planning reform. This is particularly required as the changes to industry are creating high technology jobs that are more compatible with other uses.”
