Aerotropolis planning to be fast-tracked

The importance of infrastructure projects and planning certainty for Penrith New West has been reaffirmed with a number of recent announcements.

The delivery of the State Environmental Planning Proposal (SEPP) for the Western Sydney Aerotropolis has been fast-tracked. The area surrounding the future Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) is proposed to be rezoned into employment precincts.

One of these employment precincts will be Penrith’s Northern Gateway; set to offer high technology jobs, education, research and development, as well as food production and processing over the 4,000ha of available land.

The Aerotropolis SEPP has been fast-tracked under tranche five of the NSW Government’s Planning System Acceleration Program; with a decision due by 11 September 2020. Another significant development, the $2.6 billion rezoning of the Mamre Precinct, was also fast-tracked under the Acceleration Program.

The importance of new and upgraded motorways to creating a 30-minute city, as well as the Western Sydney Airport have been highlighted in the mid-year Infrastructure Priority List.

The mid-year list is a first for Infrastructure Australia, who usually release the Infrastructure Priority List yearly. According to Infrastructure Australia, the additional release was "in response to the need for infrastructure investment to progress quickly; without jeopardising the quality of those investments".

The proposed M12 Motorway is one of the new projects to make the list. Listed as a high priority by Infrastructure Australia, the $1.8 billion project would connect the Westlink M7 motorway to The Northern Road.

Other projects that feature on the priority list include the Western Sydney Airport, upgrades to the M4 motorway, and corridor preservation for Outer Sydney Orbital road and rail/M9, and Castlereagh Connection.