Mystery deepens over Outer Sydney Orbital’s future after no funding in NSW budget

The future of a proposed major road skirting around Sydney’s western fringe is under a cloud, with no funding put towards the Outer Sydney Orbital motorway in this year’s NSW budget.

The future of a major road meant to skirt around the western fringe of Sydney is under a cloud, with no funding put towards the decade-old proposal to build the Outer Sydney Orbital motorway in this year’s NSW budget.

While the budget included $142.9 million for preserving transport corridors in western Sydney, The Daily Telegraph can reveal none of that will go towards the Outer Sydney Orbital.

The $142.9m will instead go towards land acquisition for properties in the way of freight and rail train lines to be built across western Sydney linked to the new airport.

While the Outer Sydney Orbital, which will eventually connect the Hunter and Illawarra with a route around the back of Sydney, is still decades away from being built, agitation is growing for clarity as demand for new housing rapidly soars on sites in the city’s west.

Wollondilly Shire Council last year requested options be explored to get better road access earlier than the Outer Sydney Orbital due to plans to build 19,000 homes around Appin in their area.

Phil and his son Ed O'Grady on their land in Cobbitty where they had planned to build 800 homes. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The slow progress of the project has already resulted in hundreds of new homes being knocked back.

Edward O’Grady had plans to build 800 homes on his family’s land at Tidapa, near Cobbitty in Sydney’s southwest, rejected in 2021, with authorities blaming a lack of infrastructure, including a lack of clarity over access roads to the site.

“The government has to bring an end to the uncertainty for the landowners. It’s been going on for 10 years — all we have is a press release from 2018,” Mr O’Grady said.

“It’s stopping people investing in their land … It’s a terrible outcome.”

Outer Sydney Orbital Stage 2.

The rejection also included comments from Transport NSW that the area does not have adequate planned road access, with Mr O’Grady concerned the project will be frozen and prevent him ever building homes on his land.

“Transport came up with uncertainty over the alignment and that’s what’s stopping homes for young families,” he said.

A Transport for NSW spokesman said the NSW Government was planning for the first stage of the Outer Sydney Orbital, despite there being no funding in the budget for the project.

The spokesman said the government’s primary “focus is on delivering infrastructure including the M12 and Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport to support the opening of Western Sydney International Airport in 2026”.

Despite there being no funding in the budget to reserve further land for the orbital, the spokesman insisted the government was planning for the “long term transport project through preserving the corridor for future construction of the road, ensuring longer term growth in the precinct”.