Penrith’s rural strengths in focus

We often talk about Penrith City’s future as a highly connected urban centre, but did you know that a significant percentage of our City’s land area is rural?

The strategic importance of this land is in focus this month with the release of Council’s draft Rural Lands Strategy (RLS). These lands provide a range of economic, scenic, recreational, social, and environmental benefits to Western Sydney.

The purpose of the RLS is to provide a framework and direction for the ongoing protection, planning and management of the rural lands within Penrith City. Key objectives of the RLS are to identify priorities and outcomes for the City’s rural lands; identify place-specific actions that will deliver the priorities and outcomes into the future; and develop an implementation plan that aligns the actions with Council’s delivery program.

The RLS classifies Penrith’s rural lands into four distinct precincts.

The Rural North East precinct is home to some of Penrith’s major agricultural and animal keeping industries including poultry farms, market gardening, and animal boarding and training. The precinct has significant environmental lands including Castlereagh Nature Reserve but also faces increasing demand for smaller residential lots as the population to the east and south of this precinct grows.

The Rural North West precinct contains world renowned horse studs, small lot agricultural production and the quarrying of mineral resources. This area also represents some of the best quality soils available in Western Sydney. In the longer term, the precinct could house a major piece of transport infrastructure via the Castlereagh Connection. A corridor has been preserved in this area for decades and would provide an east-west connection between the Nepean River near Castlereagh and the M7 Motorway in Blacktown. During a flood event, the Castlereagh Connection would enable residents to evacuate quickly and safely. 

The natural beauty, ecological significance and heritage properties of the Rural South West precinct provide an excellent basis for the development of rural tourism. Within the precinct are sections of the Blue Mountains National Park, Nepean River, and the scenic Mulgoa Valley and Wallacia.

While currently rural land, almost the entire South East Transition precinct is earmarked for transformational change as part of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis surrounding the Western Sydney Airport. This will see it developed for urban uses or associated infrastructure in the coming years. The precinct is currently home to poultry farms, market gardens and nurseries that will be displaced as this transition occurs over time. Rural land use zonings will be retained in the northern rural lands to ensure there are ongoing opportunities to practice these rural enterprises elsewhere in Penrith City.

With increasing pressure on our rural lands as a result of major planning and infrastructure projects in and around Penrith City, the RLS has identified five priorities to guide Council’s approach to the management and protection of the City’s rural lands.

• Secure the rural edge. A clearly defined boundary between our rural and urban lands which provides certainty for planning decisions.
• Protect ecological health and biodiversity. Ensuring land use planning and decision making supports ecological health and protects biodiversity so Penrith City’s rural areas can thrive.
• Preserve open space, natural beauty and cultural connections. This includes the protection of our scenic and cultural landscapes, highly visually sensitive landscapes, visual gateways and rural vistas.
• Support a diverse rural economy. Support for the range of existing businesses within the rural lands, as well as identifying and protecting suitable agricultural land and growing rural tourism.
• Provide housing and services to meet the needs of the community. The network of rural centres is to be reinforced whilst providing housing diversity in the villages.

The draft RLS is currently on public exhibition and Council is seeking feedback from relevant stakeholders. To view the strategy in full, and to provide your feedback, visit https://yoursaypenrith.com.au/rural-lands-strategy

The draft RLS forms one component of the Places of Penrith strategic planning framework, which will establish the vision and directions for the Penrith Local Government Area (LGA).

Another strategy from the Places of Penrith framework on exhibition this month is the draft Local Housing Strategy (LHS). The LHS has been established to guide housing change and manage population growth in Penrith City through to 2036. The Strategy considers the four themes of housing location; housing diversity; housing affordability; and housing design, character and resilience.

To view the draft strategy, and submit your feedback, visit https://yoursaypenrith.com.au/local-housing-strategy

Image: The suburb of Llandilo sits within the Rural North East precinct