Located in the North West Growth Area, approximately 11 km from the Blacktown CBD and 38 km north-west of Sydney CBD, Riverstone Town Centre is conveniently located to support more homes and jobs for the growing north-west population, with easy access to shops, schools, parks, and public transport.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure worked with Blacktown City Council and other Government agencies to prepare a new rezoning proposal for the Riverstone Town Centre that considers previous proposals and Blacktown City Council’s Riverstone Town Centre Masterplan.
The rezoning proposal presents an opportunity to shape the town centre into a liveable, walkable and connected neighbourhood with a vibrant new main street, diverse housing options near employment opportunities, and access to additional open space, community facilities and services.
Visit the NSW Planning Portal to view the rezoning proposal.
Key features
Key features of the rezoning proposal include:
- approximately 3,600 new homes including a minimum of 1.5% affordable housing
- up to 5 ha of employment land and 1,200 jobs
- over 8 ha of new or improved open space including a sports oval
- a new main street along George Street with retail, dining and shopping areas
- improved transport connections including an upgraded station area, cycleways and pedestrian pathways
- increased building heights from between 2 to 15 storeys
- an improved flood resilient neighbourhood.
What’s happening now
The rezoning proposal is on exhibition until 2 July 2025.
The Department is hosting drop-in sessions and encourages the community to come and meet our planners to discuss the proposal.
Formal feedback can be submitted at the NSW Planning Portal until 2 July 2025.
For more information:
- phone 1300 420 596
- email [email protected]
- read the frequently asked questions.
What has happened
Between 2018 and 2020, council prepared, exhibited and recommended finalisation of a planning proposal to support the implementation of the Riverstone Town Centre Masterplan. The planning proposal proposed Market Street as the new main street and a study area that extended south of Garfield Road East.
Following the 2021 and 2022 floods across the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, the 2022 Flood Inquiry was established to review the outcome from these flood events. Several recommendations were made for new development in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, including for the Riverstone Town Centre.
In 2023, it was determined that the Riverstone Town Centre Planning Proposal would not proceed due to unresolved traffic and flooding issues.
In September 2024, work commenced on the Riverstone Town Centre Rezoning Proposal. Since September 2024, a range of technical studies have been undertaken to inform the proposal.
What happens next
After exhibition closes, the Department will assess feedback, consider changes, and make a recommendation to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces. The proposal is expected to be finalised in early 2026.
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Q4 2024 to Q2 2025
Studies and investigations
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Q2 2025
Public exhibition
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Q3 2025
Analysis of submissions received
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Q1 2026
Finalisation
Frequently asked questions
Riverstone Town Centre is located in the North West Growth Area, approximately 11 km from the Blacktown CBD and 38 km north-west of Sydney CBD.
The Riverstone Town Centre Rezoning Proposal applies to the area bound by Hobart Street, Brisbane Road, Piccadilly Street, Garfield Road East, and the Riverstone Train Station.
Land south of the Garfield Road East is not included in the proposal and may be considered in a future rezoning proposal. See the frequently asked question related to transport and parking for more information.
With direct rail lines to Parramatta, Blacktown and the Sydney CBD, and near Tallawong and Rouse Hill metro stations and the M7 motorway, the town centre is ideally located to provide residents and visitors with access to metropolitan Sydney and beyond.
View the Riverstone Town Centre Rezoning Proposal area (PDF, 149 KB).
The Department is leading the rezoning process under the State Significant Rezoning Policy. The policy aims to shorten the rezoning timeframe to better meet the housing and employment needs of NSW's growing population.
The Department is now publicly exhibiting the proposal for feedback. Once feedback is received, the Department will review the feedback to inform the finalisation of the proposal.
If the proposal is approved, the planning controls will be implemented through a self-repealing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) made under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). The SEPP will amend relevant controls within the Blacktown Local Environmental Plan 2015.
There are several differences between council’s previous planning proposal and the current rezoning proposal on exhibition, including:
- northern and eastern boundaries are extended to include land between King Street and Hobart Street and to the east of Picadilly Street
- main street changed from Market Street to George Street to lower flood risk
- land south of Garfield Road East is not included. The land may be considered in a future rezoning proposal when more information is known about the potential upgrades to Garfield Road East.
Feedback received during exhibition will inform the finalisation of the proposal. The proposal is expected to be finalised in early 2026.
Most of the land in the town centre is flood prone. Flood conditions in the study area are complex and vary based on the type of rainfall event.
The Department has reviewed recent studies and reports to make sure the proposal provides a considered response to flood risk and reduces the extent of future property damage and potential loss of life.
Flood risk has been considered by way of:
- relocating the town centre and homes away from higher risk flood areas to make sure evacuation can be achieved during flood events
- raising floor levels above the 1 in 100 chance per year flood event with an added safety margin (3 m freeboard) to allow for climate change. This is close to a 1 in 500 per year flood event. Noting the proposal does not change the existing flood planning level across the wider Blacktown local government area
- proposing acquisition for lower lying land subject to the highest flood risk for open space, recreation facilities and stormwater management.
Further consideration will be given to flood risk based on feedback received during public exhibition to deliver a more robust and safer planning response for future development.
Affordable housing supports social equity, a diverse labour market, and economic growth. It is rental housing for very low to moderate income households and is open to a broader range of household incomes than social housing.
The proposal is informed by the Draft Western Sydney Regional Affordable Rental Housing Contribution Scheme and proposes varied affordable housing contribution rates from 1.5 to 10%.
Visit Social and affordable housing for more information about affordable housing.
Transport for NSW has several proposed upgrades in the North West Growth Area to reduce congestion and improve connectivity and safety, in line with the North West Priority Growth Area Land Use and Infrastructure Implementation Plan (PDF, 2.3 MB). These include proposed upgrades to Garfield Road East, Garfield Road Central and Garfield Road West.
Proposed upgrades to Garfield Road Central include:
- widening Garfield Road to 4 lanes between Denmark Road and Piccadilly Street (2 lanes in each direction)
- providing a central median along the length of the road
- providing grade separation between Garfield Road and the Richmond Railway line.
Further information is provided at Garfield Road Central.
The Department understands that finalising the Garfield Road Central upgrades could affect land south of Garfield Road East. This land is outside the rezoning proposal and may be considered in a future proposal when there is more certainty about the road upgrades.
The proposal proposes on-street parking and 2 off street areas between Market Street and Park Street. This seeks to balance the provision for car parking with the use of alternative types of transport.
The proposal retains and celebrates Riverstone Town Centre’s heritage features and buildings in line with council’s master plan and maintains the heritage provisions as outlined in the Blacktown Local Environmental Plan 2015.
The heritage listed Riverstone Train Station is a central feature of the proposal, providing direct transport links to Richmond, Parramatta, Blacktown and the Sydney CBD.
It is unlikely that the proposal would impact any critical habitats or threatened species, populations or ecological communities.
Site-specific biodiversity assessments will be prepared and considered by the relevant consent authority at the development application stage.
Development applications will be required to consider environmental impacts as part of the application process.
The proposal includes provisions for a new main street and shopping centre and land available for an upgraded public transport hub and community facilities and services.
It includes a mix of low-medium density housing types with free-standing homes, duplexes, and apartments that cater for singles, couples, and families to complement the existing homes.
A network of new and existing open space will provide residents and visitors with access to parks, sports fields, and walking and cycling paths.
The Department will continue to consult with infrastructure providers to make sure infrastructure is funded and delivered in line with future development.
Developers will be required to pay contributions to fund state and local infrastructure.
The Riverstone Schofields Memorial Club land maintains its current zone.
The former Riverstone Bowling Club site is located on higher risk flood-affected land and is proposed to be acquired and rezoned for open space to enable the expansion of the Mill Street Reserve.
The Riverstone Swimming Centre site retains its current zone.
The proposal permits higher density development near the railway station and main street, allowing up to 15 storeys near the station and up to 10 storeys near George Street. As development moves away from these areas, the maximum height of buildings will vary between 2 to 8 storeys.
Development must exhibit design excellence and contribute to the natural, cultural, visual and built character values of Riverstone Town Centre and the Blacktown LGA.
Land acquisition is proposed for some landowners for the purpose of providing additional open space, recreation facilities and stormwater management.
Proposed acquisitions are draft only and will be confirmed once the rezoning is finalised in early 2026. Once finalised, the Blacktown Local Environmental Plan 2015 will be updated to identify land proposed for future acquisition and to list the acquisition authority.
More detail is provided in the explanation of intended effect available on the NSW Planning Portal.
Support is provided for landowners through the Centre for Property Acquisition.
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For more information about the Riverstone Town Centre precinct, email [email protected]