Richmond. RAAF Base the 'preferred' option

Warren Bennett, from the Board of Airline Representatives, told ABC Radio, the RAAF Base, at Richmond, was its preferred option for a permanent second city airport simply because an airport located away from a large population centre would not viable. “In order for an airport to be viable, it has to have access to both domestic and international traffic and it has to have access to both inbound and outbound traffic. If you don't have both of that, then you are not going to have a viable airport,” he said.

Richmond. Community says no more planes

A proposal to temporarily allow commercial flights into Richmond RAAF base is a Trojan horse that would lead to it permanently becoming Sydney's second international airport, Hawkesbury Mayor, Bart Bassett, said. The the community opposed the plan, he said. The Sydney Morning has reported the base could be opened up to commercial airline traffic as the Federal Government searches for a permanent airport site. A long-awaited aviation white paper will be released next month.

Parramatta. Laneways plan wins an award

Plans to rejuvenate Parramatta’s laneways and other small spaces have received accolades from the country's peak planning body. The urban design principles proposed in “The Parramatta Small Spaces and Laneways” initiative recently won an Urban Design Award, at the Planning Institute of Australia’s New South Wales Awards for Excellence. Parramatta City Council appointed urban designers AECOM (formerly EDAW), in 2006, to develop plans aimed at breathing new life into the city’s laneways. Lord Mayor, Paul Garrard, said the concepts would be incorporated in more detail in council’s Lanes Framework Policy 2009.

Region. Creativity at work

An electric motorcycle, new medical devices for children, and innovative furniture for urban living is on display at the University of Western Sydney's 'Widevision.16' exhibition in Pyrmont. The exhibition showcases the work of final year industrial design students from UWS, and features three-dimensional models, schematics and computer generated images of their final-year projects. Sustainability is central to this year's exhibition, with a focus on transforming everyday household items such as fridges and compost bins into environmentally conscious cutting edge designs.

Region. Manufacturing at risk

Given that Western Sydney is one of Australia’s a major manufacturing area and a major employer, the sector would be concerned that policymakers have written it off. In its latest quarterly Statement on Monetary Policy, the Reserve Bank sees the resource sector as the future of Australia's prosperity and warns manufacturing will shrink. Treasury secretary, Ken Henry, has forecast an Australia in 40 years with an even larger mining sector and much smaller manufacturing sector. Also, a report by University of Technology Sydney professor, Roy Green, commissioned by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, found that Australian manufacturing managers were at best mediocre and particularly bad at managing people and innovation. Smaller companies performed worse, which was a concern because Australian industry has a relatively larger proportion of small-sized firms.

Region. WSROC hopes The Hills will stay

The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) would continue to advocate for the North West Rail Link, despite The Hills Council opting to resign from the lobby group, according to its president, Clr Alison McLaren. The Hills Shire Times reported all The Hills councillors, bar Labor representatives, Tony Hay and David Bentham, claimed the annual $65,000 membership fee was being wasted on an “irrelevant” organisation that did not properly represent Hills residents. “For us not to be a part of WSROC, or not even to be contributing or have a voice, is wrong,” said Clr Hay, a former WSROC president. Clr McLaren said The Hills representatives did not raise any concerns with WSROC at the group's strategic planning meeting in July. “I’m hoping the council reconsiders when they see WSROC continuing to advocate for issues such as the North West Rail Link - not just for residents in the Hills but for all residents in Western Sydney,” she said.