City’s best asset
PENRITH City Council is considering public submissions to a Vegetation Management Plan, which has been developed to both, protect the Nepean River foreshore and its biodiversity, while also opening up views over the river in some places. Council said the river was Penrith’s best asset and is confident the plan strikes the right balance between maintaining the health of the river and its banks while exposing the beautiful river vistas.
$30 million grant
BLACKTOWN and Penrith councils will receive a combined total of almost $30 million this financial year as part of the federal government’s Financial Assistance Grant program. Blacktown will receive about $18.5 million and Penrith, just over $11 million. The money will be used for general purposes and spent on local roads.
$20 million contract
STAFF at Hanson Australia’s Mulgrave factory will be boosted from 35 workers by up to 130 extra jobs, following the company winning a $20 million` contract to supply more than 1100 concrete segments for the four-kilometre Skytrain viaduct as part of the North West Rail Link project. Production of the precast concrete segments is expected to start at the end of the year.
$65 million wing
THE NSW government has approved a DA for the construction, over the next two years of a $65 million hospital wing, at the Norwest Private Hospital in response to growing demand for its services. The wing will provide an additional 54 beds and five additional operating theatres, bringing the number of beds to 272 and 16 operating theatres.
Land expansion
THE NSW government plans to extend by 4537 hectares the Western Sydney Employment Area, at Eastern Creek, which was formed to give businesses land for industry and employment with infrastructure for transport and logistics, warehousing and office space. The land was expected to deliver 36,000 industrial jobs and 21,000 office jobs over the next 30 years.
Exclusive talks
QUBE Logistics is in exclusive talks with the NSW government to operate an $800 million, at Moorebank, handling at least one million tonnes of freight a year by 2033, as part of a joint venture with Aurizon
Centre living
FEDERATION centres is considering a residential development atop or adjacent to its Bankstown 85,110-square-metre shopping centre, in North Terrace, Bankstown.
ALDI leases space
GERMAN supermarket discounter, ALDI, has leased 1,544 square metres of space for an outlet in the refurbished Miller Central shopping centre, in Liverpool, on a 15-year lease.
Council seeks advice
LIVERPOOL City Council will meet with Parramatta City Council to discuss lessons learnt from the introductions of its street mall activation policy.
Tourism plans
LIVERPOOL City Council has obtained tourism strategy plans from Parramatta, Blacktown, Armidale and Ipswich. A presentation by Destination NSW will be made at an upcoming meeting of council’s economic development and events committee.
$44.2m marina
THE Sydney West Regional Planning Panel has approved a $44.2 million marina on the George’s River, at Moorebank. The 22-hectare site off Newbridge Road will accommodate 186 berths in a floating wharf in front of a large maritime building capable of storing 250 small craft in dry berths. The site is currently a quarry by Benedict Industries, the company behind the project.
Building portfolio
POKER machine maker Ainsworth Game Technology, at Newington, which is building up its portfolio of poker machines on licensed titles, has unveiled two new machines at a major trade show in Las Vegas
Eels training base
Parramatta City Council has agreed to the Parramatta Eels establishing its training base training and high performance facilities at the Old Saleyards and Dan Mahoney Reserves in North Parramatta. Former Lord Mayor, John Chedid, said that while Old Saleyards Reserve isn’t used heavily at present, new grounds will have to be found for the current users, including NSW Churches and Northern District Cricket Association, Parramatta Women’s Hockey Association and a number of schools.
Putt Putt to go
THE fate of the Ermington-based Putt Putt mini golf course has been sealed following Parramatta City Council selling 4.5 hectare Bartlett Park on Victoria Road, on which the course is partially situated, to Aqualand Australia for $135 million, for possibly up to 1,000 apartments. Council is looking for another location of the course.
$274 million DA
PROBUILD has lodged a DA with Parramatta City Council for the staged development application for the construction of a mixed use development including approximately 770 dwellings, in a number of buildings of 12 storeys, at 2 Morton Street, Parramatta. The estimated cost of the work: $274 million. The application will be determined by the Western Sydney Joint Regional Planning Panel.
Business committee
PARRAMATTA City Council has established an International Business and Investment committee. Its aims include promotion and facilitation of international businesses and investments in Parramatta; help local businesses to explore international opportunities; and the promotion of international economic and cultural partnerships. The committee will work closely with Council’s economic development team.
