Parramatta. Helping businesses to deliver

Parramatta City Council has distributed more than $400,000 to more than 20 social enterprises through the Parramatta Social Enterprise Project, now in its fifth year offering a number of grants to help businesses deliver better social, environmental and cultural objectives. Council is now offering $80,000 in funding to further grow social enterprise in the area. The grants include A total of $30,000, made up of $2500 grants to assist with business planning for early stage social enterprises connected to the local area; and two grants of $25,000 to assist an existing successful social enterprise in the Parramatta LGA, or for a local social enterprise to take a significant growth step.

Region. Visitor numbers up 500 per cent

Visitor numbers to the Australian Botanic Gardens, Mount Annan, and the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens, Mount Tomah, have skyrocketed by as much as 500 per cent since the new government abolished entry fees. “Mount Annan is the largest Botanic Garden in Australia and is dedicated to native plants, while Mount Tomah in the iconic Blue Mountains is home to cool climate plants from around the world,” said Premier Barry O’Farrell

Hoxton Park. Half stake in $200m centre

The Australian Financial Review reports that the UK, Avia Investors, will acquire, today, a half stake in the Mirvac Group’s flagship $200 million distribution centre, at Hoxton Park, which comprises two distribution centres fully pre-leased to Woolworths. The deal could include smaller Mirvac’s assets in Huntingwood, Minchinbury and Villawood.

Parramatta. City's vital role

Some of the state’s prominent industry leaders discussed at an economic development forum earlier, in Parramatta, this year what was required to firmly cement Parramatta as Sydney’s “central” city. “It was universally agreed that Parramatta, and Western Sydney, had a key role to play when it came to managing the future growth of wider Sydney. We established that in order for Sydney to evolve as a sustainable and successful global city, infrastructure investment and economic development in Western Sydney was vital,” said Clr John Chedid, when stepping down as lord mayor of Parramatta.