North West. Rail link cost may double

Business has raised concerns with the NSW government that the 23-kilometre North West Rail Link could cost up to $14 billion, almost double the official estimate, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Campbelltown. Work resumes

Work has resumed on a public housing project at Campbelltown after NSW Public Works stepped in yo replace failed group, St Hilliers Constructions, as head contractor.

North Ryde. Winners of scholarships

Macquarie University final year engineering students, Gitanjali Pradhananga and Martin Kieliszek, have won scholarships worth $5,000 each from Huawei a leading global information and communications technology provider. The awarding of the scholarships is the latest step in the partnership between Macquarie University and Huawei, which became part of the university’s Engineering Industry Partnership Program (EIPP) in mid-2011, alongside other industry partners that include Optus, CSIRO, Cochlear, Commonwealth Bank and more.

Penrith. Response to discussion paper

Penrith City Council’s response to the state government’s “Sydney over the next 20 years” discussion paper includes support Penrith as the regional city for north west Sydney, expand the specific jobs target in Penrith to reflect council’s adopted target of 40,000 new jobs by 2031, reinforce the 70 per cent-30 per cent split for housing between existing and greenfield areas so as to confine Sydney’s urban footprint and reduce our ecological footprint, improve employment opportunities by locating a minimum of 50 per cent of all new jobs in Western Sydney, and improve public transport connections within Western Sydney, particularly between residential and employment locations.

Parramatta. Council seeking tenders

Parramatta City Council invites tenders to enter into an agreement for up to three years for the Australia Day concert in Parramatta Park, a major event in council’s events calendar.

Parramatta. Meriton gets approval

The federal government has approved the proposed Meriton Apartments’ project, on the former David Jones site, at 330 Church Street. Council had expressed its concerns to the federal government regarding the impact on views from the World Heritage listed Old Government House, in Parramatta Park, which could have may affected proposed high rise building projects in the CBD, such as the $135 million Meriton Apartments’ proposal including 24-storey and 34-storey residential towers.