Growing and strengthening the metropolitan cluster

The commitment to an Aerospace Institute at the Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis will be a significant foundation for this metropolitan centre evolving into a health and education precinct.

The Sydney Science Park will be designed to deliver 12,000 knowledge-intensive jobs and provide an industrial research and development business park by 2020. It will also include a retail and entertainment district, new homes and an education precinct.

Local health and education facilities such as TAFEs and schools, local hospitals and health services play an important role in the community as places where people work, learn and access services.

In light of the importance of delivering on these outcomes, specific governance arrangements have been established for each of these places. For the Western Sydney Airport and Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis, the tri-government Western Sydney City Deal and the three established centres have been identified as Collaboration Areas.

These four locations will be the main focus for access to goods and services; entertainment, leisure and recreational activities; as well as cultural and arts experiences. Planning to attract these land uses is critical. A place-based approach is to be adopted in planning for these centres (refer to W6).

Liverpool

Liverpool CBD includes Liverpool Hospital, the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research and the clinical schools of the University of NSW and Western Sydney University, South West Private Hospital and South Western Sydney TAFE.

In addition to the CBD, health and education precinct and nearby residential and industrial land areas, the Collaboration Area includes the Warwick Farm Precinct and the under-construction Moorebank Intermodal Terminal. Planning for the Collaboration Area will also consider the draft Georges River Masterplan, which aims to extend the Liverpool City Centre to create better connections to and through the river and to make Liverpool into a true river city.

Considerations for the planning of the Collaboration Area include:

• strong developer interest in rezoning land for additional housing, including the currently industrial waterfront
• the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University campuses integrated into the City Centre. Western Sydney University is opening a new high-rise campus in the Liverpool CBD in 2018. It will use the most technologically advanced higher education teaching and research methodologies and platforms
• proximity to the M7 and M5 motorways and infrastructure upgrades to support Western Sydney Airport
• Western Sydney Airport Co the Australian Government agency established to develop Western Sydney Airport, will locate its offices in Liverpool CBD
• the University of Wollongong will build a 7,000 student campus and will set up a training facility for 700 nurses to work with Liverpool Hospital.

The Collaboration Area aims to:

• increase housing diversity and provide affordable housing
• improve and coordinate transport and other infrastructure to support jobs growth
• develop smart jobs around the health and education precinct, particularly in the areas of advanced manufacturing and logistics, automation and translational research
• improve the night-time economy, mixed-use and transport connections
• improve urban liveability and Liverpool’s sense of place
• improve environmental outcomes around the Georges River
• develop Greater Sydney Green Grid projects
• capitalise on Western Sydney Airport and the Western Sydney City Deal
• revitalise the Liverpool CBD
• examine flooding issues and water management
• consider the opportunities presented by the Liverpool Water Recycling Facility
• undertake urban renewal at Warwick Farm and retain a social housing mix.

Greater Penrith

The Collaboration Area for Greater Penrith covers the Penrith CBD, the health and education precinct and the tourism precinct from Penrith Lakes along the current length of the Great River Walk to the M4 Motorway. It has the potential to grow up to 45,000 jobs – a 35 per cent increase – over the next 20 years.

As a Collaboration Area, Greater Penrith’s growth will be supported by a whole-of-government approach to align the activities and investments of government and key stakeholders in the area. The Penrith health and education precinct is based around Nepean Hospital, the Western Sydney University Werrington Campus and Nepean College of TAFE Allied Health Facility. It generated 6,000 jobs to 2011, representing an almost 300 per cent growth from 2001.

The Penrith CBD is a significant commercial centre and serves a substantial catchment which extends to the west into the Blue Mountains. The $550 million upgrade of Nepean Hospital will enhance innovation, research, health and education activities, and attract complementary businesses. Nepean Clinical School is at Nepean Hospital and is one of the eight Clinical Schools of the University of Sydney.

Nepean Hospital is supported by district-level services at Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury hospitals. Also, Greater Penrith will benefit from the construction and operation of Western Sydney Airport, and forecast increases in tourism to the Blue Mountains and Metropolitan Rural Area.

The Collaboration Area aims to:

• revitalise and grow the Penrith CBD
• develop a major tourist, cultural, recreational and entertainment hub
• protect and expand the health and education precinct
• address flooding issues
• implement Greater Sydney Green Grid projects and promote ecologically sustainable development
• improve housing diversity and provide affordable housing
• diversify the night-time economy
• implement healthy city initiatives and improve social infrastructure.

Campbelltown-Macarthur

Campbelltown-Macarthur is developing into Greater Sydney’s newest health and medical hub with research and specialist community-based care in paediatrics and gastrointestinal disorders. It contains Campbelltown public and private hospitals, Western Sydney University Campbelltown Campus, and TAFE NSW Western Sydney. Collectively, these elements form the health and education precinct and the Collaboration Area also includes Macarthur Square, Campbelltown Mall and surrounding government services.

The centre has the potential to grow up to 31,000 jobs (a 52 per cent increase) by 2036. The Western Sydney University has a strong health focus linked to the hospitals and centred around its School of Medicine and Nursing and Midwifery. Programs of note include:

• 7,000 students enrolled at the Campbelltown campus, with 632 studying medicine
• almost 3,000 students enrolled in nursing and midwifery programs and approximately 12,100 enrolled in allied health programs
• the new NSW Government– University funded Macarthur Clinical School at Campbelltown Hospital¹⁷.

The NSW Government has committed $632 million for the Campbelltown Hospital Redevelopment Stage 2, mental health services and paediatric services. This follows the completion of the $134 million Stage 1.

The construction of the Campbelltown Sports and Health Centre of Excellence at Western Sydney University, planned for early 2018, will improve access to high quality sport and recreation facilities and provide programs for sports science and sports business.

Health care and social assistance is the most significant employment category in the Local Government Area, with 16 per cent or 8,000 jobs. The sector is forecast to grow by 2.35 per cent a year, resulting in approximately 13,500 jobs by 2041¹⁸.

The Collaboration Area will enable a focus on opportunities to generate growth in economic activity, employment and investment. There are opportunities to:

• protect and grow core health and education activity
• provide new research facilities and related commercial premises
• plan for complementary uses and increased cultural, creative, digital or technology businesses and employees
• establish, enhance and promote the interdependencies between health and education to grow innovation, start-up and creative industries
• improve east-west connections and liveability of the area
• support affordable housing opportunities for students and moderate-income households.