It is one of our Council’s major priorities to improve transport connections for Parramatta, providing better connections to our precincts and easier access to jobs.
Parramatta City Council’s plan for a Western Sydney Light Rail network has received a welcome boost recently with the announcement by New South Wales premier Mike Baird that the state government will fund a $10 million feasibility study into the project.
Light rail is the way of the future – and this project is a key part of our plans to create a modern and connected 21st Century city at the heart of Sydney.
The Premier’s announcement is a vote of confidence in our Council’s vision for this project.
The network will link two of the nation’s fastest growing CBDs, Parramatta and Macquarie Park, and also the Hills district, which supplies 60 per cent of Parramatta’s workforce.
It will be fast and frequent, with services coming every 10 minutes and every five minutes for stops within the Parramatta CBD, and it will address the two main challenges facing Western Sydney: creating jobs and catering for a fast growing population.
The project would not only provide great economic benefits to the city, it would help with precinct renewal and cut travel times to improve the quality of life for thousands of people who commute in and out, and around Parramatta every day.
One of our Council’s six strategic objectives is the economy – and the generation of new wealth for western Sydney.
This means a need for 10,000 new jobs in Parramatta over the next five years and 50,000 over the next 25 years.
By 2038 the population of Parramatta is estimated to grow to 211,150 and the number of people working in the city is predicted to climb from 120,000 to 172,000.
By 2031, the network will support 180,000 jobs and 50,000 homes.
This population growth and creation of more jobs needs to be supported by better infrastructure, and that’s what the Western Sydney Light Rail Network is seeking to provide – better access to jobs, shops, hospitals and universities.
The state government’s announcement is very much a step in the right direction towards a greater future for Parramatta and Western Sydney.
In other news work is well underway in transforming Centenary Square into a much more usable space as part of a $4.5 million redevelopment.
Stage 2 of the Centenary Square Upgrade is set to see Church Street Mall transformed as part of one of the biggest capital works projects we’ve undertaken in recent years.
Once it has been completed the Mall will be safer and more accessible to visitors, workers and residents. In general it will be a much more exciting and lively place to be.
The demolition and dismantling works have already been finalised and underground services work has been underway since earlier this year.
This next stage, which will extend until early September, will include the construction of new event spaces, a new fountain, new street furniture, new paving and lighting, and the restoration of the heritage clock monument.
The popular Parramatta Farmers Market will continue to operate during the construction period but will be moved south down Church Street towards the station.
While there will be some inconvenience in the short term, it will most definitely be worth it when the transformation is complete.
