Blacktown. College to move to new premises

The Anglican College, in Kings Park, will move from its old premises to a purpose-built campus, in Glenwood, next year. The school, formerly known as the Australian Technical College Western Sydney, combines years 11 and 12 study with trades qualifications, including apprenticeships. Construction is scheduled to start in May and be completed for 2011.

Doonside. Wildlife park wins tourism award

Featherdale Wildlife Park, at Doonside, won a national award in the category of major tourist attractions, at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. The multi-award venue, one of Australia's largest private collections of Australian native animals and bird life, has earned a world renowned reputation in both the zoological and tourism industries for its commitment to conservation, education and providing the quintessential Australian wildlife experience. The park welcomes over 350,000 guests through its gates annually.

Blue Mountains. School wins tourism award

The Leura-based, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, won the coveted national award in the Tourism Education and Training category, at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, in Hobart, defeating an impressive array of finalists including Griffith University, Queensland and the University of South Australia. Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism Limited (BMLOT) chairman, Randall Walker, congratulated the school for its success and its economic contribution to the greater region. He said international and domestic students and their visiting families and friends would inject more than $3 million annually into the local economy.

Faiefield. Recycled mix used in trial

Fairfield City Council is patching up a city street in a trial the use of mulched construction waste blended at the Sustainable Resource Centre, in Wetherill Park. Mayor, Nick Lalich, said the recycled mix could be used across the Fairfield LGA if the trial was successful. “By recycling these waste products in to roads we are making a significant dent in the amount of dumped materials,” he said. The centre has previously mixed recycled materials for the construction of the Nalawala Sustainability Hub, at Fairfield Showground.

Hawkesbury. Multi-million dollar stables

Darley, the global breeding operation of United Arab Emirates vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has a multi-million dollar project underway at Osborne Park, at Agnes Banks, an historic 140-acre property, with a 200-year-old homestead. Darley is developing Osborne Park into a state-of-the-art training complex for two-year-olds that is unrivalled anywhere in Australia, and perhaps the world, according to the Hawkesbury Gazette. About 120 people are employed on-site building the stable complex, training facilities and the same all-weather Strathayr track in place at major racetracks in Australia and Asia. The complex is expected to be finished by the end of June. Some 30-40 people are expected to be employed when the complex is operational

Merrylands. Approval holds up $300m project

An additional approval by Holroyd City Council has held up the construction of the $300 million development. Stockland Merrylands claims there is nothing to worry about after a slip in the construction schedule. The shopping centre had hoped to finalise plans for the last stages of its development, which includes Big W, Coles and Woolworths, by Christmas. But the RTA wanted an extra access road from Neil St before Holroyd Council could rule on the development application. Holroyd Mayor, John Perry, was confident the municipality’s biggest development would meet its target of 2012.

Hawkesbury. LEP to 'stifle' business growth

Business owners in Vineyard, McGraths Hill and Mulgrave say they will be dealt a severe blow if Hawkesbury City Council adopts its draft local environment plan. Property owner, Ken Hardaker, said changes to the plan, which regulates land use in the Hawkesbury, would outlaw bulky goods businesses from setting up shop and only offer current businesses the protection of “existing use rights”. However Hawkesbury City Council said the changes were “not a big deal”, according to the Hawkesbury Gazette The LEP renames the 4a and 4b zonings as In1 and In2, and removes “bulky goods” as an approved activity in these zones. Mr Hardaker said the LEP would stifle business growth in the area and lead to stagnation.

Penrith. Businesses to take on staff

A Penrith Business Alliance (PBA) survey of over 350 businesses, in the city’s industrial parks, found that one-third of all businesses were planning to employ more staff over the next six months. Most companies were planning to employ between 1 to 3 new staff in 2010. The major factor causing any hesitation to new employment was confidence that business conditions would continue to be strong enough to require new staff. Twelve per cent of businesses were suffering from skills shortages, particularly trades persons. Two final-year UWS students conducted the door-to-door survey for the PBA. Elsewhere, Penrith City Council’s Policy Review Committee (PRC) has unanimously approved the PBA’s Business Plan outlining key priorities and action plans for local economic growth and job creation.

Rhodes. Sale of waste services

The NSW Government aims to sell WSN Environmental Solutions, its waste services operator, by the end of the year. WSN, based at Rhodes,has a number of waste and recycling depots in Western Sydney. It is expected some of the land assets of WSN, such as a large parcel of land it owns, at Chullora, will be sold separately, which will reduce the value of the remaining assets to about $300-350 million.

Holroyd. Caterpillar replacements

WesTrac Holdings Pty Ltd, the dealer for NSW and the ACT for Caterpillar heavy equipment products, is poised to deliver fleet replacements in NSW. The NSW/ACT head office is based in Holroyd.

Badgerys Creek. Keating calls for airport

The federal government must reverse its "diabolical" decision to kill the option of a second airport for Sydney at Badgerys Creek, according to former prime minister, Paul Keating. The Badgerys Creek site, purchased 25 years ago by the Hawke government, was the right site then and is the right site now for the city's much-needed second airport, he said. "There is only one possible site and that is Badgerys Creek,'' he told an Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW conference in Sydney. This "diabolical'' decision to drop the site, about 50km west of Sydney's central business district, would cap the city's air traffic growth and its progress as an international destination. "This is a decision that has to be reversed.''