Connective City 2036 approved

An over-arching strategic plan to help guide growth in Canterbury-Bankstown over the next 20 years, was approved by Council overnight.

Canterbury-Bankstown is a city in the heart of metropolitan Sydney, with more than 360,000 people, a population that’s projected to grow to 500,000 over the next two decades.

Mayor Khal Asfour said the draft Connective City 2036 was placed on public exhibition for 12 weeks, so residents could have their say.

"We hosted community focus groups, information sessions, online surveys and social media engagement, resulting in 151 submissions being received from community members, organisations, and other stakeholders," he said.

As a result, adjustments made to the draft included:

Changes to plan drawings, showing the differences between committed and non-committed metro projects; Clarifying which projects are Council-led and NSW Government-led; Providing more detail on aspects dealing with strengthening housing growth in major centres; Identifying Campsie and Bankstown as strategic centres; and Providing clarification between current and future land uses at WSU’s Milperra campus and Canterbury Racecourse.

Mayor Asfour said Canterbury-Bankstown is required to have a consolidated approach that guides growth and change, and balances what makes a city complete.

"Canterbury-Bankstown’s first Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS), Connective City 2036, builds on the vision which was developed earlier with the help of residents and captured in CBCity 2028 (Community Strategic Plan)," he said.

"It will protect and enhance attractive, low-density suburban areas; offer more housing choice close to public transport; and encourage vibrant centres across our City. It will also aim to locate 80 per cent of new housing within walking distance of transport hubs and/or existing centres, and ensure new housing in suburban areas is consistent with the existing local character.

"Another priority of this plan is to provide housing choices that suit each stage of life and provide affordable housing to low and moderate income households."

Other features include:

Providing more jobs, particularly in Bankstown, Campsie, Kingsgrove and Chullora; Protecting the character of residential areas and identifying places that have special character; Providing a land-use plan to protect, enhance and extend the City’s green spaces and waterways; Improving transport connections across the City, particularly those linking to the Sydney CBD, Parramatta and Liverpool; and Highlighting the importance of Canterbury-Bankstown within the Sydney metropolitan area, linking to key jobs and activity centres in the North West, Macquarie Park and new Western Sydney Airport.

Connective City 2036 can be viewed at cb.city/connectivecity2036