This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
PLANS for Sydney’s second airport site in Badgerys Creek to become the centrepiece of the city’s western region are taking off, with the 10,000 hectares of greenfield land around it declared “Australia’s newest economic zone” and state and federal government funding being brought forward for key infrastructure projects.
ASX-listed property group Boyuan Holdings Limited yesterday announced its Northern Gateway masterplanned project, which will cover 344ha next to the airport, and include a new Westfield shopping centre, and health and logistics space.
Boyuan expects it will deliver 38,000 jobs and $14.3 billion to the western Sydney region’s economy, to be developed by a consortium that includes Western Sydney University (WSU) and Scentre Group.
It said the Northern Gateway also provides for a diversity of housing options in the medium-term, which would ensure a pipeline of up to 9,000 dwellings.
“This will support the housing needs of airport and Aerotropolis workers and meet the demands of the wider Western Sydney Region, all complemented by over 408,000 sqm of open space and green zones networked through the site for both passive and active recreation.”
WSU will be involved with the development of an education precinct with a focus on the aerospace industries, freight, advanced logistics and health care, leveraging and contributing to the activation of the Western Sydney Airport.
The Wellness Centre of Healthcare Excellence and Centre for Cognitive Enhancement (WCHE and CCE)will be headed by Professor Charlie Teo, AM, and feature a teaching and research facility, and medi-hotel and aged care facility. It will be delivered in stages over 10 years and is tipped to create 2,900 direct jobs.
Meanwhile, Scentre Group oversee more than 200,000 sqm of commercial space that takes in hotels, public facilities, retail, office and public spaces.
“Working with the design direction of leading international architecture firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture, the Masterplan has been developed from a grid and is designed as a continuity of the walkable city.
“The completed living centre will launch a new innovative programme with a high turnover of curated commercial and cultural exhibitions and events, well as a place for bespoke fashion, wellness and other programs. The precinct will link to a new convention centre and Western Sydney performance space, which together with the retail will provide a regional and global cultural destination operating on a 24/7 basis,” Boyuan said.
International logistics group LOGOS will operate The Northern Gateway Logistics Estate, which will look to capitalise on its location close to the airport site and near the North South Rail Link and the M12 Motorway.
Just more than 50 kilometres from the Sydney CBD, it has been identified as the focal points of the Greater Sydney Commission’s Western City District Plan, one of the “Three Cities” that will shape planning across Sydney over the next 40 years as the population climbs towards eight million. More than half of those are forecast to live west of Parramatta.
The three regions are Western Parkland City, Central River City, centred around Parramatta; and Eastern Harbour City, around the CBD.
Recent data from CBRE showed that in the four years since the announcement that the Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek would proceed, the price of 2-hectare and 10-hectare blocks of rural, unzoned land has grown by respective averages of 32% per annum and 24% per annum.
As reported in Australian Property Journal, a final draft of the Western Parkland City plan recently contained a noise clause error that put the residential development potential of up to 240 square kilometres around the future airport site in jeopardy.
The Greater Sydney Commission then deleted the noise reference in its use of the National Airports Safeguarding Framework (NASF), and released a District Plan note stating a factual error had been made.
The Urban Taskforce had written to a number of NSW Planning Ministers regarding the noise clause, and despite meetings, no action was taken.
Australian Property Journal
