This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
GREATER Parramatta is set to undergo further development in the coming years with a new report claiming it will become a truly global, liveable and sustainable city by 2035.
The report – also known as ‘The Glover Review’ – provides 12 major recommendations to Government, backed by detailed policy and planning actions to transform Greater Parramatta. It based the report off important business and industry-related information, combined with community consultation. The report details a vision to push Parramatta forward into the future as a globally recognised city that is also sustainable and connected to all its communities.
The report issued by Western Sydney University outlines a number of recommendations to allow Greater Parramatta to achieve this position as a city. Some of these recommendations include transforming Parramatta into the central interchange station of a new fast rail network in the proposed ‘six cities’ region, and improving active transport facilities and interconnectivity of Greater Parramatta.
The report focuses on Parramatta’s economy and sustainability for the future as it recommends future-proofing liveability by preserving land with high cost-benefit outcomes. It also says driving innovation and investment is key in supporting Parramatta’s growth as a ‘University City.’ The report appreciates the Indigenous history of the area and aims to preserve that by protecting Greater Parramatta as the ‘City of Green and Blue.’
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet commissioned the report titled in full – Parramatta 2035: Vibrant, Sustainable, Global, by the university’s vice-chancellor and president, professor Barney Glover AO and the University’s Centre for Western Sydney. The Premier released the report today as part of the official opening of Western Sydney University’s new Engineering Innovation Hub in Parramatta.
Perrottet acknowledges how the report can help guide this vision of growth for Parramatta.
“The NSW Government commissioned this important review with Professor Glover’s work to be considered by the Government complementing our Six City Strategy, which will provide a blueprint to unlock new opportunities for Parramatta,” Perrottet said.
“The new state-of-the-art Engineering Innovation Hub opened by Western Sydney University is an example of the work that is already underway to help make the Six Cities Strategy a reality by supercharging the development of more modern and advanced manufacturing in areas such as Parramatta that will be key to boosting economic activity and creating more skilled jobs.”
Barney Glover says that Parramatta’s history is still key as he talks about how the city can reach the potential it’s still yet to achieve.
“Greater Parramatta is a region experiencing robust acceleration. Considerable investment has delivered opportunity for its people but in parts, the city’s journey has become misaligned. For Parramatta to reach its full potential, the government needs to take a considered approach to planning and development, working hand in hand with the community and industry, and prioritising sustainability, liveability and Indigenous knowledges,” said Glover.
“Paramatta’s elevation into a global, connected and liveable city is conditional on the preservation and enhancement of its unique attributes, particularly in fundamental areas like housing affordability, cultural expression, and connectivity. Harnessing these attributes to attract investment and talent is vitally important and, ideally, a distinctive element of Parramatta’s current and future character and is critical to its success as a global city,” Glover added.
