St Marys. Call for masterplan for Dunheved

The need for the appropriate and long overdue master planning of the Dunheved Business Park is evident by the way ad-hoc development of the area has been allowed in the past, according to the Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce. Continued development in an unbalanced manner will only devalue the area for future commercial development and as a desirable employment amenity for the region. The chamber’s Dunheved Industrial Group Sub Committee will meet at St. Marys Leagues Club, on Wednesday, July 28, at 3.30pm

Rosehill. Hooters sale close to being finalised

The Hooters Australia restaurant chain has gone into liquidation after the administrators, RMG Partners, were called in, back in March,.for the holding company, Wingu-Aus Holdings, owing $4.8 million to creditors. The Cronulla store closed shortly before administrators moved in. The Parramatta store, on James Ruse Drive, Rosehill, and the outlet at Mermiad Beach, in Queensland, are both trading. Liquidator, Robert Brennan, said both stores were profitable with sales of both close to being finalised, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Parramatta. Application to wind up firm

Abacus Property Group has applied to wind up Premier Parking (NSW) because of outstanding payments for the Italian Forum car park, in Leichhardt, and Stockland and the Commonwealth Property Office Fund have also joined the move, replacing Premier as the operator of 110 Walker Streets and 201 Miller Street, in North Sydney, according to The Australian Financial Review. The family-owned company, based in the Parramatta CBD, commenced operations in the city in 1984. It is one of the largest car-parking businesses in Australia.

Macquarie Park. Sonic buys German firm

Sonic Healthcare, based in Macquarie Park, one of the world's largest medical diagnostics companies, has agreed to buy Lademannbogen Laboratory for $19.6 million to boost its presence in Germany, subject to approval from German competition authorities. Sonic has three operations in German: Bioscienta, Labor 28 and GLP Medical. The company provide laboratory and radiology services to medical practitioners, hospitals, community health services, and their collective patients.

Parramatta. CBD site sold for $15 million

The Becton Property Group has a sold vacant site, on a prominent corner in the western precinct of the CBD, for $15 million, to Crown International, which plans to build a residential, commercial and retail complex. A current development approval exists for a 40,000-square-metre commercial building. Crown International has completed a $120 million, 246-apartment residential tower, in Cowper Street, Parramatta.

Rixhmond. Call for second airport at RAAF base

The Board of Airline Representatives of Australia (BARA) has made a submission to the Federal Government for Sydney’s second airport to be located at the Richmond RAAF base. It sees Richmond as the best bet because of its proximity to the market and much lower cost of providing ground transport infrastructure due to the existence of nearby motorway and rail links. “We believe it is the facility within the Sydney basin that is the most likely one to be capable of being further developed with political approval,” Warren Bennett, BARA, executive director, told The Australian.

Region. NSW housing budget blown out

The NSW housing budget is blowing out as motels in Western Sydney increasingly become half-way houses for homeless families, according to ABC News. The NSW Government said its temporary accommodation budget had blown out by more than $9 million this year as it pays for an extra 643 people each month to stay in motels or caravan parks. The latest census data shows a 17 per cent increase in the number of homeless families between 2001 and 2006, but Western Sydney charities said the global financial crisis had already put those figures out of date. Mission Australia had recently built 16 townhouses in Sydney's west specifically designed to accommodate families.

Yennora. State-of-the-art facility open

Logistics company, Schenker Australia, has opened a state-of-the-art logistics hub, at Yennora, strategically located on the rail line spur connecting it to the main Sydney-to-Melbourne and Sydney-to-Brisbane railway and Port Botany. The facility consists of two buildings with 20,000 square meters and 12,000 square meters respectively joined by a 3800 square meters breezeway. When fully developed, the new warehouse and distribution centre will provide a link between the economies of rural and regional Australia and the global economy.

Sydney Olympic Park. Decision secures future

The decision by the NSW Government to include Sydney Olympic Park on the proposed West Metro line would help secure the future of Sydney Olympic Park as an important events precinct and a centre for jobs and homes, said Sydney Olympic Park Authority CEO, Alan Marsh. ‘Sydney Olympic Park is home to around 100 organisations and 8500 workers, and over the past two years alone more than $276 million of developments have been a approved. “The draft master plan 2030 will see Sydney Olympic Park maintain its position as Australia’s premier major events precinct and grow to accommodate 28,500 workers, 14,000 residents, 5000 students and more than 15,000 daily visitors,” Mr Marsh said. Sydney Olympic Park hosts around 5,000 events a year