The UDIA today said it welcomes the “bold and ambitious plan” for the Six Cities Region as revealed in the Discussion Paper released today by Premier Dominic Perrottet.
“The NSW Government’s new strategic focus on the Six Cities Region presents an enormous and crucial opportunity to set the Central Coast City on a path for exponential growth as part of the broader Sydney megaregion,” the UDIA (Urban Development Institute of Australia) says.
“If the proper settings are put in place now, we can build better communities with enhanced economic, social and environmental benefits and lift the global competitiveness of NSW.”
UDIA CEO Steve Mann said today’s blueprint represented a clear vision for the Six Cities Region and it will be essential to leverage this new focus, whereby the value of the megaregion is greater than the sum of its six parts to enable that vision to turn into reality.
The Sydney megaregion includes the Central Coast City and currently delivers about a third of the Australian GDP (gross domestic product).
The UDIA says this makes it by far the most important economic region in Australia and, with over 6.3million people, it needs to be planned to grow as a globally competitive “conurbation” (an extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of a central city).
The 10-year outlook indicates that 400,000 new dwellings will be needed by 2031 in the Six Cities Region.
“We clearly have a long way to go before this is achievable and government must get it right as the megaregion represents 90% of new housing supply for NSW,” Mr Mann said.
“Our UDIA NSW Issues Paper: Priority Focus Areas to Ensure Success for the Six Cities Region aligns closely with the sentiment in the Discussion Paper and we recommend that the NSW Government focus on the following actions in the Central Coast City immediately to get the vision off to the best possible start including:
# More ambitious housing targets to address supply challenges;
# Updated industrial lands policy across the Six Cities;
# Planning for fast rail over the longer term. In the medium term, better transport including improved bus services to connect communities;
# Digital connectivity to support innovation districts;
# Strategically plan for the passengers and businesses that use airports, including general aviation airports such as Warnervale;
# A new innovation district to be developed on Central Coast with a focus on health, technology and food manufacturing linked to freight systems;
# More understanding around what achieving a climate resilient city will require;
“Regrettably, there is no mention of biodiversity in the document,” Mr Mann said.
“The vision of achieving higher housing and jobs targets will not be achieved in the Central Coast City without committing to a strategic solution to balance biodiversity and growth outcomes.”
The UDIA said it welcomed the Discussion Paper’s recognition that better connections throughout the Six Cities will open up new opportunities for settlement and support increased housing supply.
“We see the opportunity for new towns and centres to emerge within the Six Cities Region supported by appropriate infrastructure at regional, city and local scale,” Mr Mann said.
“This should be managed with a settlement strategy that considers greater potential for population growth and broader acceptance post-COVID working from home, while still maximising the benefits of the established key centres in each of the Cities.
“We need to use this major strategy review now to implement better processes for planning, governance, and engagement to unlock the private sector investment required to support the NSW Government’s vision for the Six Cities Region as Australia’s economic powerhouse,” said Mr Mann.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the vision was key to building a brighter future for the people of NSW.
“This is a blueprint to better connect and create more liveable cities across NSW as well as providing more access to services and opening new doors for businesses to thrive,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This is the next step in establishing a globally competitive city region with more jobs, housing, education opportunities and lifestyle benefits, bettering the lives of everyone in the Six Cities.
“Our ambitious vision includes unlocking new opportunities for businesses across the Six Cities in traditional industries and also in the industries of the future such as defence technology, aerospace, medtech and renewable energy.
“This vision also lays the groundwork to supercharge the development of more modern and advanced manufacturing in the Six Cities which will be key to boosting economic activity and creating more skilled jobs.”
Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes said the Sandstone City region can become a global exemplar of sustainable urban development.
“Housing targets need to be more ambitious to address supply challenges and I want to ensure that all new residential development on Government land includes 30 per cent social, affordable and diverse housing,” Mr Stokes said.
“With more migrants set to settle in the Six Cities – our plans will include targets to achieve the housing we need.
“We also have to reduce our dependence on cars and provide more safe options for people to walk or cycle. In order to achieve that we need to continue to plan and invest in the right active transport infrastructure.”
The Greater Cities Commission’s Discussion Paper is a starting point for a “deep engagement period” throughout the Six Cities, both online and in-person.
The Government said that following engagement on this vision, work to develop and finalise the Six Cities Region Plan will be undertaken in 2023.
See details published earlier and a link to the plan: https://www.cccouncilwatch.com.au/
So the Government wants to finalise the six cities plan in 2023 when we still have a Administrator who answers to the government and doesn’t live in the region. No councillors to provide input
We will see what happens after the state elections. NOT HAPPY JAN