NSW Manufacturing News
MANUFACTURING IN HOT SEAT AS AUSTRALIA’S NEWEST CITY FORGES AHEAD
Author: Renee McKeown Urban Developer
First it was an electric rail network, then a harbour bridge. Now, Sydney hopes the big dreams of John Bradfield will inspire a new city. The future aerotropolis city, named after the Australian engineer and chief proponent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, located a step to the west of Sydney, is expected to be in full flight when its airport and rail line open in 2026.
The 114ha city centre has seeded in no small measure with a $20-billion investment in infrastructure. New to the project is Ken Morrison, former Property Council of Australia chief executive, who has taken on the role of chief executive of the newly named Bradfield Development Authority. He was appointed in June when the Western Parkland City Authority was renamed and Infrastructure NSW was given special powers in a bid to end “unacceptable delays” and untangle “unnecessary red tape”, handing the authority the power to resolve roadblocks and disagreements between agencies. “I heard Tom Gellibrand [Infrastructure NSW chief executive] speak about this,” Morrison tells The Urban Developer. “He’s plowing ahead, developing an infrastructure structure plan for the aerotropolis region. “That will create a schedule of infrastructure upgrades and the timing of those. “I think it’s the license you need in your wallet without necessarily needing to use it. “The work he’s been doing and the consultation has been first class and I think the outcome will be exactly what the precinct needs.”
The September 2024 site works at Bradfield covers 35 per cent of the new city and are due to complete by mid-2025.
The Bradfield masterplan was approved on September 4 and comprises 10,000 homes, 20,000 jobs and 36ha of greenspace, including a central park. “I’m coming in at a time where now it’s all about delivery—we’ve been in planning mode and now we are getting it done,” Morrison says. “It is something that had been on the planning books since Bob Hawke’s day, so that was a breakthrough decision. “Under the Turnbull government that decision was made to do a city deal around the airport.”
22 – October / November 2024
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