Economic Development Strategy unveiled

A new five-year plan to support Canterbury-Bankstown’s economy was released overnight for community feedback.

Mayor Khal Asfour said Canterbury-Bankstown’s Economic Development Strategic Plan 2020-2025, will help to position CBCity as ‘Sydney’s Connected City’ and ‘Sydney’s Place of Opportunity’.

“Our vision is to promote and support our thriving city centres, continue our dynamic growth, and make real changes to create opportunities for local businesses, so we can strengthen our local economy and improve the lives of residents,” he said.

Canterbury-Bankstown has the eighth largest economy in NSW, accounting for $15.2 billion, and is made up of more than 30,700 local businesses and 118,000 jobs.

There are several key projects and initiatives which will drive change in the new plan, including:

Reviewing the current Canterbury-Bankstown Business Advisory Service model;Establishing a careers centre in Bankstown;Securing Bankstown’s CBD as the location of the new Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital;Creating partnerships with Western Sydney University to deliver a Digital Discovery Centre, potentially in its new proposed campus in Bankstown’s CBD;Driving the relocation of SBS from Artarmon to Canterbury-Bankstown;Developing a Night Time Economy plan; andDeveloping an alliance with other councils to drive central transport connections.

In addition to the actions in the new plan, Council will further promote the City through major business events, such as the recent annual Western Sydney Dialogue Out There Summit. It attracted hundreds of business leaders, professionals, politicians, organisations and government representatives from throughout Sydney.

“Having the largest Council in NSW (by population), we have a responsibility to ensure Canterbury-Bankstown is heard and we have a seat at the table, when major policies and strategies impacting Western Sydney, South-Western Sydney and Central Sydney, are discussed and developed,” Mayor Asfour said.

The draft Economic Development Strategic Plan will be on public exhibition until 5pm Friday 27 September, with residents encouraged to view it and their say at cb.city/haveyoursay