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Westmead, located within the Greater Parramatta Growth Area, has two distinct areas – the health and education area north of the rail line, and the residential area south of the rail line.
Westmead is well connected by public transport, including the Western and Cumberland train lines and bus services to the Parramatta and Sydney CBDs. It takes under three minutes to reach the Parramatta CBD by train from Westmead Station. A new metro station is planned for Westmead as part of Sydney Metro West, providing fast, safe and reliable rail to major hubs – Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park and Sydney CBD and its extension westwards is proposed to be futureproofed. The future Parramatta Light Rail, due for completion in 2023, will also run north-east through Westmead providing a connection to the Parramatta CBD.
Westmead is within the Greater Parramatta to the Olympic Peninsula (GPOP) area; a 6,000-hectare area at the core of the Central City, and the centre of Greater Sydney. The Greater Sydney Commission has released a Place-based Infrastructure Compact (PIC) for GPOP which seeks to better align growth
with the provision of infrastructure and services. When finalised the PIC will play an important role in shaping the direction and staging of planning and growth in GPOP, including for Westmead.
The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces has recently announced a new approach to precinct planning in NSW. This will mean a change of approach to planning for Westmead.
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment will work with City of Parramatta and Cumberland Councils and key stakeholders to develop a strategic planning framework to support the growth of one of Australia’s most important health, innovation and education clusters by leveraging the significant investment in infrastructure planned for Westmead and improving connectivity through the precinct. Future potential rezoning of the area will be initiated by councils through the planning proposal process or site-specific planning proposals.
