3.1.11.
- Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy
The Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy (UrbanGrowth NSW 2016a) (Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy) identifies areas along the corridor (between Granville in the west to Camperdown in the east) where there would be a focus on encouraging growth and changes over the long-term (about 30 years). The aim of the strategy is to create an environment with good design, land-use mix, housing choice and infrastructure, as well as improved access to community facilities and services and access to public and active transport.
It is envisaged that up to 27,000 new homes and 50,000 new jobs would be generated in the corridor in the next 30 years (UrbanGrowth NSW 2016a). To improve the corridor, the Parramatta Road
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Transformation Strategy has identified eight urban renewal precincts at Granville, Auburn, Homebush, Burwood–Concord, Kings Bay, Taverners Hill, Leichhardt and Camperdown.
WestConnex is identified within the Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy as a catalyst for the restoration of the Parramatta Road corridor, as it would reduce through traffic on the surface roads in the corridor. ‘Through traffic’ in this context refers to traffic that travels more than five kilometres along Parramatta Road to destinations away from Parramatta Road. The reduction in traffic, particularly trucks, would assist in improving public transport and urban amenity, both of which would support future growth along the corridor, in particular residential development.
A key element of the Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy is the delivery of improved public transport services along Parramatta Road, including the potential development of bus rapid transit. This project, together with the M4 East project, would reduce traffic on Parramatta Road between Burwood and the Sydney CBD, which would in turn free up road space for future public transport initiatives that would benefit existing and new residents along the Parramatta Road corridor. One of the conditions of approval for the M4 East project includes a requirement for that project to dedicate at least two lanes of Parramatta Road between Burwood and Haberfield for the sole use of public transport. This requirement is incorporated into the design of the M4 East project so that future public transport initiatives on Parramatta Road can be integrated with the WestConnex program. The project, together with the M4 East project, therefore complements the plans envisaged in the Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy.
The Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy also plans for the future construction and delivery of walking and cyclist infrastructure at key locations along the Parramatta Road corridor. This new infrastructure is not part of the project and would be subject to separate planning assessment and approval. Improvements to the active transport network that would be delivered by the project are described in Chapter 8 (Traffic and transport) and Appendix N {part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6} (Technical working paper: Active transport strategy).
The project traverses or is in proximity to three of the urban renewal precincts identified in the Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy – Taverners Hill, Leichhardt and Camperdown. The Camperdown precinct is directly affected by construction of the project.
The Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy also identifies part of the Camperdown precinct, at the intersection of Parramatta Road, Pyrmont Bridge Road and Mallett Street, as the proposed ‘Camperdown Triangle’, which could become a potential biomedical hub, due its proximity to the RPA Hospital. The project would include a temporary ancillary facility to support tunnel construction on a portion of the Camperdown Triangle. Once construction for the project is complete, this site would be rehabilitated and would then be available for future redevelopment (subject to separate planning assessment and approval) in accordance with the Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy.
The Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy is supported by the Parramatta Road Corridor Implementation Plan 2016–2023 (UrbanGrowth NSW 2016b), which sets out prioritised actions to facilitate transformation in the corridor over the short-term until 2023. The Parramatta Road Corridor Precinct Transport Report (UrbanGrowth NSW 2016c) outlines transport plans for each of the precincts to support urban transformation in the Parramatta Road corridor over the short, medium and long terms.
The Parramatta Road Transformation Strategy has informed the Greater Sydney Commission’s draft District Plan for the Central District (see section 3.1.9) and is also discussed further in Chapter 12 (Land use and property).
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3.2.1
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- Improved connectivity
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In order to achieve the broad strategic objectives outlined in A Plan for Growing Sydney and the more detailed District Plans, Sydney’s businesses and households require good access for workers and for the distribution of goods and services across the Sydney region. Improved connections for workers, suppliers, trades and customers through improvements to the transport network, including the strategic road network, are needed to support the growth of these centres and the ‘global economic corridor’.
By providing a motorway link between the M4 East at Haberfield and the New M5 at St Peters, the project would help to connect major employment centres, which are critical in supporting the creation of jobs and businesses. This would include centres within the ‘global economic corridor’ (see Figure 3-1), which includes the Sydney Airport and Port Botany precinct, Sydney CBD, Sydney Olympic Park, Parramatta CBD and Norwest Business Park. The project would also support the Western Sydney Employment Area, which is outside the global economic corridor, southwest of Parramatta.
Furthermore, the Rozelle interchange (a key component of the project) would provide connectivity with the local surface road network at City West Link, The Crescent and Victoria Road. The Rozelle interchange would also connect to Victoria Road via the Iron Cove Link and includes ramps, tunnels and supporting infrastructure to provide connection to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project.
The Rozelle interchange would enable the following corridors:
- A north–south corridor between the New M5 at St Peters and Rozelle that would bypass the Sydney CBD
- An east–west corridor between the M4 East at Haberfield and Anzac Bridge, connecting to the Sydney CBD and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The predominantly below ground design of the Rozelle interchange would provide a number of free flow connections and minimise the number of intersections at the surface.
Further details on surface road connectivity and tunnel connections as a result of the project, including connectivity at the Rozelle interchange, is provided in Chapter 5 {part 1, part 2} (Project description). The current high volumes of traffic along Parramatta Road between Haberfield and Camperdown mean that east−west movements are given priority. This limits north−south movements across the
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Parramatta Road corridor, including pedestrian and cyclist movements. The project, together with the M4 East and M4 Widening projects, would reduce traffic on Parramatta Road (east of Haberfield). This would create opportunities for improving north−south movements across the Parramatta Road corridor. Similarly, Victoria Road has become a barrier to east−west movements, as the high volumes of traffic travelling north−south along Victoria Road are given priority. The reduction in traffic along Victoria Road (between Iron Cove Bridge and City West Link) as a result of the Iron Cove Link would allow a more balanced surface road network in the Lilyfield/Rozelle area, including The Bays Precinct.
The project would further improve connectivity by delivering new and upgraded active transport network (ATN) links including cycleways and pedestrian paths. This infrastructure has been designed to maintain and enhance pedestrian and cyclist accessibility and connectivity, providing new and upgraded east–west and north–south connections, linking Lilyfield and Rozelle with Balmain, Annandale, Glebe, Leichhardt and the Sydney CBD.
Additional information on active transport links created or improved by the project is provided in
Chapter 5 (Project description) and Appendix N {part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6} (Technical working paper: Active transport strategy).
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The People's M4/M5 EIS 