Late last year State Government’s new metropolitan planning strategy – A Plan for Growing Sydney, nominated Campbelltown as a regional city – the fourth in Western Sydney along with Parramatta, Penrith and Liverpool.
“By recognising the Campbelltown CBD in its own right as a regional city centre, the plan acknowledges the area’s role in supporting the surrounding community, and will help cement Campbelltown as the capital of the Macarthur region, “ said Mayor Paul Lake in welcoming the new status.
“Campbelltown will be in a position to attract a range of new business, government, health, cultural, retail and recreational opportunities to support our growing population.” Cr Lake’s aspiration is turning into reality.
Campbelltown set to accommodate the fifth largest shopping centre in NSW following its owner’s approval of a $240 million redevelopment of the Macarthur Square shopping centre.
Australian Prime Property Fund Retail and GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund said the redevelopment which would see floorspace increase by 16,000 square metres to 100,000 square metres maintain its position as the largest shopping centre in South –West Sydney – the fastest growing region in the metropolitan area
Construction is expected to take two years, with the main extension due to be completed by Christmas 2016.
Campbelltown City Council is drawing up a formal proposal for a $30 million expansion of the Campbelltown Arts Centre, regarded as one of the state's biggest and most respected creative hubs.
Any funding for the project would hinge on the leasing of half the state's electricity assets. While construction would be fully funded by the state, the council would be required to fund the operating costs.
"If we were successful [in the funding application] that would be assessed in a business management plan [and while] I'm not an arty person – I’m more of a sports person – but you need mix for the future regional population,” Cr Lake said
With regard to sport, council has signalled its intentions to push ahead with a sport centre of excellence at the University of Western Sydney's Campbelltown campus, having the support of both sides of politics.
Council has given initial support to an application for stage one, the Nexus Business Park, part of a proposed 60-hectare business park along Narellan Road
"One of the hopes is to attract educational, medical and health [industries] and any businesses that relate to those industries," Cr Lake said.
He said council had already signed off on a $16 million UWS medical school to be built next to Campbelltown Hospital, and the city has the school of medicine at the university."
Potential greenfield development is likely with the government’s identification of an Urban Investigation Area in the southern and south western part of the Campbelltown local government area, stretching into Wollondilly Shire.
Adding further emphasis to the growth potential of the Campbelltown-Macarthur regional city is the government’s Seven Growth Centres Plan, which aims to increase urban densities around train stations from Glenfield to Macarthur.
Council believes the plan would encourage consumers to shop in Campbelltown.
However, an issue in need of rectifying is the state of Queens Street, in the Campbelltown CBD and the number of $2 dollar shops along the shopping strip.
Businesses have joined the calls for the return of the CBD to the bustling commercial centre of past decades – a time before the arrival of Macarthur Square.
