There is an opportunity to co-ordinate delivery of infrastructure to support sustainable growth in the Greater Parramatta and Olympic Peninsula (GPOP) area.
A preferred package of projects has been identified (Package 1), involving water, transport, education, health, cultural, justice, social housing, sport and green space infrastructure, to support growth within the next 10 years. This package results in the following key benefits:
- Residential and property benefits from increased housing, increased job density, additional open space, improved access to strategic and metropolitan centres, improved access to universities and the residual value of housing.
- Reduced congestion and vehicle pollution benefits from increased job accessibility (that is, reduced commuting distances to jobs in GPOP rather than the Sydney CBD).
Strategic Fit
The GPOP area has been prioritised for sustainable growth within the 2018 Greater Sydney Region Plan and NSW State Infrastructure Strategy 2018-2038. Development of GPOP is aligned to and will leverage the clustering of infrastructure investment in Central River City (as defined in the Greater Sydney Region Plan).
Societal Impact
The proposal would derive nationally significant benefits, largely driven by residential property benefits and reduced congestion and vehicle pollution. There are also a number of smaller but strategically important benefits identified, including additional tree canopy cover, improved water quality for the Parramatta River, increased visitors to Parramatta Park, improved amenity of the promenade and public domain, accessibility and condition of heritage assets, affordable and social housing, emergency response times, reduced crowding of school classrooms and avoided costs of remand.
Deliverability
The proposal considers packages of infrastructure requirements to support planned growth over 10 years including scenarios of alternative land use forecasts. In taking the proposal forward, the proponent will be required to coordinate planning and delivery with a multitude of cross-sectoral agencies and service providers to ensure the opportunity is realised.
Proponent to identify and analyse potential investment options (Stage 2 of Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework).
There are a range of capital and non-capital options that could capture the opportunity and should be considered by the proponent to determine the optimum package of investments.