December 6, 2019
The first of 10 large blocks of land earmarked for employment and residential precincts near Sydney’s new $5.3 billion airport at Badgerys Creek will be rezoned by the middle of next year.
The NSW government will release on Friday a draft plan for the so-called Western Sydney Aerotropolis in a major step towards the rezoning of 11,200 hectares of land around the new airport under construction at Badgerys Creek.
The Aerotropolis will cover a vast area of land surrounding the site of the new airport at Badgerys Creek.
AEROTROPOLIS AUTHORITY
The Aerotropolis will be divided into 10 precincts, six of which will be given priority for rezoning by mid next year. They include the “Aerotropolis Core”, which will focus on advanced industries and research and development, and the “Agribusiness” precinct on the western edge of the airport.
The timing for the rezoning of some of the large blocks of land has been accelerated, including for the Badgerys Creek precinct next to the airport. That precinct is being fast-tracked because it would help support the delivery of infrastructure such as roads and rail.
The exact route of a $7 billion metro rail line between the airport and St Marys, west of Blacktown, and the number of stations along it, is also due to be confirmed next year. Two stations are expected to be built on the airport site.
The line – the first stage of a so-called north-south line in Sydney’s west – is scheduled to be opened at the same time as the airport in 2026.
Western Sydney Aerotropolis
The Aerotropolis is a region earmarked to take advantage of economic activity stimulated by the new airport at Badgerys Creek. Its primary aim is to create about 200,000 jobs by attracting new and emerging industries.
NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes said construction of the new airport provided a rare opportunity to create a new city, and the government wanted to ensure that land was ready to be built upon well before the first plane was due to take off in 2026.
The timing of the rezoning of the four remaining Aerotropolis precincts such as Rossmore and North Luddenham will depend on when infrastructure is built, and the amount of development in nearby areas. Existing rural land-use zones will be remain until the precincts are rezoned.
The draft planning package for the Aerotropolis will be on public exhibition until February 28.
Major earthworks at the 1780-hectare airport site, about 50 kilometres west of Sydney’s CBD, will start early next year. In all, 23 million cubic metres of earth will be moved to construct the airport.
