Parramatta. DA for $51.9 million project

Parramatta City Council has received a DA for a staged commercial/retail development on two lots, at 142 Macquarie Street, Parramatta, the current site of the Cumberland Newspaper Group, publisher of the Parramatta Advertiser. The capital investment of the proposal is $51.9 million. The DA will go on public exhibition on March 30 until April 20.

Region. New government must commit

The incoming NSW government must commit to providing a comprehensive and integrated system of transport – including road, rail and bus networks to avoid Western Sydney grinding to a halt, the president of the Western Sydney Regional Organization of Councils (WSROC), Clr Alison Mclaren said. “The failure to adequately plan for and fund these road networks, together with the ongoing failure to provide critical public transport and rail infrastructure means the people of Western Sydney will soon literally not be able to move,” she said.

Region. Freight line above estimate

The Southern Sydney Freight Line, considered crucial for reducing the amount of freight carried by trucks in Sydney and throughout the state, is expected to be finished by the end of next year. It will have cost $350 million, well above the most recent estimate of $309 million. Work was suspended on the project in October 2009 and only resumed in September. Brian Dale, a spokesman for the Australian Rail Track Corporation, which is building the line, said the delay was caused by ''design and construction issues and working through signalling with Railcorp'', to allow work on the line without disrupting CityRail services.

Rydalmere. Economic boost for Rydalmere

A Parramatta City Council commissioned economic and commercial feasibility study concluded the so-called 26.4-hectare Rydalmere Technology Precinct, in the general area of the railway station, was a viable urban and economic development opportunity of significant scale..The modelling indicated delivering 11,000 new jobs (a 1000 per cent increase) and 2700 new residents. The transformation would generate an additional $989.2 million in income for Parramatta workers, and an additional $3 billion in economic output, adding 19.5 per cent to the gross regional product (GRP) of the Parramatta sub region. The study will be considered at a council meeting on March 28.