Item 8.9 - Attachment 2 |
Parramatta City
Council's Submission to the Discussion Paper |
PARRAMATTA CITY COUNCIL – SUBMISSION
Parramatta
City Council’s submission comprises this summary outline of the key responses to
the discussion paper, with attached supporting documents.
Principles
guiding Planning for
There is strong support in
Western Sydney and
Parramatta City Council has
expended significant effort over the past few years researching actions and
strategies which support the local implementation of the principles of the
current Metropolitan Plan and the objectives of the State Plan 2021,
particularly around economic development.
This research has led us to
the conclusion that a new Metropolitan Plan should take these concepts further
and focus on re-shaping
We
believe that the Metropolitan Plan needs to put a priority on growth of
employment in
For example:
By
2036, on current predictions;
o Sydney’s population is
projected to increase by 1.4 million
people, and employment by
700 000 jobs.
o Western Sydney’s population is projected to increase by 900,000 people, but jobs only by 364 000.
So
to balance population growth in Western Sydney with jobs, 237 000 additional jobs are required in
We
believe this should be a primary challenge for the new Metropolitan Plan. To
perpetuate this imbalance in employment will increase congestion, increase
travelling times, increased infrastructure costs and will be likely to lead to
significant economic productivity losses and reduction in quality of life. Failing
to act to address this structural issue in
Generally, the Principles set out in the document are
sound and supported, although it is suggested that the above centres concept
diagram from the existing Metropolitan Plan be modified slightly to emphasise
the role of the regional cities.
A
positive future for the city will not take place unless significant resources are
dedicated to infrastructure and supporting regeneration, particularly in
existing centres ready for asset renewal, expansion and redevelopment. This will require prioritisation of scarce
resources to support centres including cities like
Housing
Parramatta’s population is growing at 3% per annum, and is the second fastest
growing LGA in NSW. Council is on track
to meet its residential targets set under the current Metropolitan Plan. This indicates that successful residential
growth can occur in established areas. The discussion paper indicates that
existing urban areas have accommodated the majority of housing growth in
Efficiency and
sustainability of growth will be achieved by a compact city which can only be
achieved by directing much of housing growth in and around centres. Large low
density housing estates on Sydney’s fringe that are not supported by jobs and
public transport will reduce the efficiency and sustainability of Sydney’s
growth and should not be a major element of the strategy. A more sophisticated
understanding of changing demographics and emerging demands for housing should
feed directly into initiatives to increase supply.
Council believes that one of the major obstacles to
renewal of existing housing stock in established centres of
Housing cannot be looked at in isolation of
transport (and employment, education and other trip generation). More housing
in established centres requires supplementary transport infrastructure to
provide better linkages between centres. Building efficiently on the existing
transport connections in centres like
Emphasis needs to be on provision of a range of housing
in
State Government’s role in housing needs to be more
than setting up agencies that undertake studies and prepare strategic plans. The
State needs to dedicate an agency to that plays a key role in the delivery of
housing, jobs and urban renewal, including affordable housing and employment
precincts. This agency needs to take active steps to deliver the amalgamation
and infrastructure required to deliver long term quality results in housing and
employment.
The delivery of
affordable housing options which are necessary for
The setting of housing targets for Local Government areas by the
Department does not guarantee delivery of housing that will meet targets; it is
just a theoretical number. There is no
consistent methodology for representing how the targets are calculated
across Local Councils, the numbers themselves are not necessarily accurate, consistent
or comparable and should not be used as a measure of housing quantum.
Economy (jobs)
As
discussed, jobs growth needs to match population growth in the Metropolitan
area.
Any review of the Metropolitan Plan should considering
increased jobs targets in Western Sydney – and
Better understanding of employment futures is
essential if the Government is going to successfully guide
The majority
of jobs growth needs to occur in centres in the west, particularly in the regional cities of
For Example:
o Currently in the eastern Sydney, approximately 50% of jobs are concentrated in strategic
centres,
o In Western Sydney, only 23% of jobs are located in strategic centres.
On current projections, this will only improve
marginally in the west by 2036 with 29% of jobs within strategic centres. This issue needs to be addressed as it is
likely to have significant impacts on accessibility, congestion and involve
large social and environmental costs.
(Source: Cox
Council believes
Employment
growth, particularly in
Transformation
of precincts including Parramatta CBD,
We
believe that the Metropolitan Plan must plan for long term employment growth
and the supply of land for this purpose in locations close to transport. This criteria makes all of the Regional
cities in the plan priorities for funding.
Council
believes that the State Government needs to better understand latent employment
growth with more sophisticated models that reflect the potential for Government
to drive employment density and renewal through city building initiatives like
Light Rail. Various scenarios and growth
assumptions would provide better decision making support for investment than
simply extrapolating current trends.
Greater
Transport
Even at current projections of jobs growth, getting
this workforce into
o 500 extra buses an hour or,
o 25 extra trains and hour on the western
line (for which there is insufficient capacity) or
o 10000 extra parking spaces (double existing public
parking supply)
Servicing this demand, and achieving more ambitious
employment and residential growth targets is one of the objectives of Council’s
Light Rail proposal.
The Metropolitan Plan should give some weight to recognising
this as a model for meeting broader objectives such as providing north south
links within the region, improving the efficiency of the heavy rail system and
driving urban renewal.
Council has also proposed a simple but significant
plan for improving access to
Council believes that transport infrastructure
delivery must support and connect
All the identified regional cities within the
Metropolitan Plan should be assisted to develop regional transport plans for
the future and to implement any long term regional corridor reservations.
Continuation of a viable ferry service to
Other long term possibilities such as high speed
rail and express rail links between
Infrastructure
The transformative role and economic value of
infrastructure (particularly transport) needs to be recognised, in that it
stimulates land values increases, redevelopment options and density of jobs and
housing. The State Government should
consider it a tool that can lead development and encourage economic growth,
rather than follow it. Leading
development will also allow sufficient density to be built around transport
nodes, rather than retrofitting this density over time. Another approach (relevant to
Difficult decisions need to be made about
prioritisation of infrastructure– and priority should be given to making the
regional cities within the metropolitan area such as
Infrastructure planning requires long lead times and
setting aside corridors and resources for the future. Longer timeframes than ten to twenty years
are required to successfully achieve these objectives.
It is essential that the objectives and strategies
of the Metropolitan Plan align with State Infrastructure and Transport Plans and
budget allocations.
Social
To meet the social and skill
development needs of
The Metropolitan Plan should
not just consider cultural events such as the very successful expansion of the
Festival of Sydney to
For example, renewal of the
precinct along the
There is a structural social
divide within
Proportion of the labour
force with university qualifications (Source - Grattan Institute)
Percent 26 - 38 15 - 26 0 - 15
The primary
focus in the targeting of development sites should be the relationship between
any potential area and its accessibility to physical and social infrastructure.
As part of this analysis the Department should develop a matrix that indicates
the relationship between potential sites and long term sustainability outcomes.
Higher cost
housing particularly in the
The current
system where housing policy initiatives are split between many different
government agencies has resulted in a fragmented (and at times competing)
response which has been inadequate in addressing the affordable housing supply
problem. The development of a more streamlined approach would go along way
towards address some of the inefficiencies of the current system.
Percent 0 - 15 15 - 26 26 - 38 38 - 50 50 - 100
The 2006 State
Government Inquiry into Sportsground Management recognised the current shortage
of
Environment
The environmental challenges
for
The environmental component
of the Metropolitan Plan should be clear on specific investments to help reduce
energy and water consumption of the 3 main sectors; manufacturing and industry,
residential and
Recent studies identify that heatwaves
are likely to be more severe and will last longer, with western
Delivering the Strategy
Parramatta
City Council has expended significant resources researching and assessing local
and regional issues and potential solutions for the challenges of Metropolitan
Sydney and particularly
· Clear coordination between all State
Government strategies, and clear resourcing of infrastructure to address the
issues in the plan – for example, addressing the infrastructure needs of the
regional cities and specialised centres.
· Resourcing or working closely with Local
Government to develop regional and sub regional strategies for implementation
· Innovative approaches to funding
infrastructure and renewal (beyond zoning, increasing land development
potential and levies)
· Better addressing the gap between
Metropolitan level initiatives and local implementation.
· A clear line of sight between the priorities
in the Metropolitan Plan and State budget allocations.
In October
2010, GA research (a division of Kreab & Anderson) issued a summary of
community expectations and perceptions on city planning and development from
people in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
There was widespread concern from city dwellers (particularly from
o Bold planning that anticipates a growing
population, with a focus on sustainability
o Substantial improvement of all forms of
public transport
o Less reliance on cars
o Greater use of renewable energy
o Better water capture
Following
the adoption of the future Metropolitan Strategy, Council looks forward to the
opportunity to work with the State Government to successfully deliver the
strategy.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
· “Parramatta Centre Economic
Development and Employment Potential” - report prepared for Parramatta City
Council by Strategic Economics and SGS Economics and Planning, May 2012.
· Parramatta City Council brochures:
- Western Sydney Light Rail Network
-
-
Decentralising Government Jobs to