New infrastructure chief tasked with getting aerotropolis on track, Parkland authority to be gutted

A new infrastructure tsar will be installed to kickstart the flailing aerotropolis precinct around the new Western Sydney Airport, with the previous authority to be gutted and renamed.

Exclusive: A new infrastructure tsar will be installed to kickstart the flailing aerotropolis precinct around the new Western Sydney Airport, with the previous authority tasked with the job to be gutted and renamed.

The Daily Telegraph can ­reveal that responsibility for getting roads, homes and industrial space built around the new airport will be handed to Infrastructure NSW, led by ­infrastructure co-ordinator general Tom Gellibrand.

At the same time, the maligned Western Parkland City Authority (WPCA) will be renamed and have its responsibilities formally cut to focus solely on building the Bradfield City Centre and attracting investment to the aerotropolis – the 11,200ha precinct surrounding the airport.

The move will result in the WPCA being renamed the Bradfield Development Authority, with former Property Council chief Ken Morrison to be installed as chief executive of the revamped agency.

Mr Gellibrand will be given new powers to step in, direct and overrule government departments which are dragging the chain on building infrastructure around the airport.

The airfield at the new Western Sydney Airport, which is due to open to the public in 2026.

Infrastructure NSW will immediately start work on a “sector plan” which will set out what key infrastructure – such as roads and sewerage – needs to be completed to support freight and employment-related development.

Mr Gellibrand will be tasked with fixing up years of failure stemming from uncertainty over the role of the WPCA – which was assumed to be ­leading co-ordination of the entire aerotropolis precinct, yet only had responsibility for Bradfield.

Infrastructure NSW will also be tasked with playing a greater role in helping NSW hit lofty housing targets set by the federal government, by identifying where infrastructure such as roads and water supplies are lagging and slowing down the building of new homes.

In a third prong to its new responsibilities, the department will also take a greater role in the state’s energy transition, by co-ordinating infrastructure needed alongside the rollout of new energy developments.

The major changes come after The Daily Telegraph highlighted the lack of progress made at the aerotropolis precinct just two years out from the Western Sydney Airport opening to passengers from around the world.

Two months ago, peak bodies like the Urban Development Institute of Australia raised concerns over the lack of a body “grabbing (the aerotropolis) by the scruff of the neck and delivering”.

An artist’s impression of the new Bradfield City Centre within the aerotropolis.

Premier Chris Minns in April signalled a new delivery authority could be used to kick the area into gear. It’s understood Infrastructure NSW’s new role is the action that has been settled on.

“This is all part of our plan to put an end to the years of ­obstruction and delay that slowed down the delivery of essential infrastructure across Western Sydney and NSW,” Mr Minns said.

“From increasing housing supply across the state to ­delivering critical infrastructure across Western Sydney, we are committed to cutting red tape and getting our state moving again.”

Planning Minister Paul Scully said Infrastructure NSW would immediately be tasked with developing a plan for the aerotropolis, pinpointing the type, location and timing of infrastructure needed to turn it into a booming jobs hub.

“It is essential that all parts of government are working together to support the delivery of homes, jobs and the energy transition,” he said.
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