Riverstone Town Centre

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.