Second airport at Badgerys Creek will deliver jobs close to home in Western Sydney

Badgerys Creek was found to be the best site to build a second airport in 1979. Decades later, David Borger from the Western Sydney Business Chamber found out his dad had worked on this plan. Now he reflects on what it will mean for the area.

Concept images of the aerotropolis and Western Sydney Airport. Picture: Arterra Interactive

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THE first time I stepped on an aeroplane was in 1976, when I was seven years old. My dad took my brother, sister and myself to Fiji for an exotic holiday.

I remember the long commute from the suburbs — we got in the car from Sefton in Sydney’s western suburbs and made the pilgrimage to Kingsford Smith Airport.

While I didn’t think much about airports then, I certainly appreciated the value of travel.

What I didn’t realise was that one of the biggest infrastructure debates of Australia was beginning that year, with the commissioning of the Major Airport Needs of Sydney Study (MANS).

Western Sydney Business Chamber executive director David Borger. Picture: Joel Carrett

The report found Badgerys Creek was the best site to build a second airport in 1979.

Decades later, I found out my dad worked on this plan.

The airport has taken a long time with many false starts but sadly, dad passed away a few years ago and did not get to see the project take shape.

However, I think he could take solace in the fact that 40 years after the report his son would be standing at the site watching the Prime Minister give the signal for the first sod to be turned.

As the bulldozers are starting to level the site, the dust is also settling on one of the great infrastructure debates this city has seen.

Concept images of the aerotropolis and airport. Picture: Arterra Interactive

Like John Bradfield’s vision for the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney rail network that transformed the north shore and central Sydney, this aerotropolis will have a catalytic affect that we still can’t quite imagine. As no doubt, the people in 1930, had no idea what that Bridge would do for Sydney.

It wasn’t long ago when Western Sydney experienced far higher than average unemployment rates than the rest of Australia. The great hope of this airport city is to deliver great jobs close to home.

The other hope for the aerotropolis is to build a new model for the edge cities that will develop around the airport.

Concept images of the aerotropolis and the Western Sydney Airport. Picture: Arterra Interactive.

Railway stations will provide the opportunity to deliver traditional town centres that are interesting, walkable and activated with lots of things to do.

It is time we put the old suburban model in the rubbish bin. No more mega malls and employment precincts that are disconnected from people and their homes. The old model was to develop a business park, a retail mall and a suburban estate and then separate them all with arterial roads. There are a number of potential edge cities surrounding the new airport, including North Bringelly. Our role should be to go back to the future for the walkable, civilised and gridded downtowns of yesteryear but also to go forward and design these around high densities, green streets and exploiting new technology such as driverless vehicles.

The spirit of the gold rush surrounding the Western Sydney aerotropolis has resulted in dozens of proponents hunting for ideas. They are looking at similar projects around the world and bringing the ideas to the site.

My dad may not have been John Bradfield but like many Sydneysiders, he made his own small contribution to a big idea that will change our city forever.

● David Borger is the executive director of the Western Sydney Business Chamber.

● We asked Sydneysiders to share their visions for where they live in the lead-up to the Bradfield Oration on November 19. The Daily Telegraph launched the Bradfield Oration five years ago to celebrate the vision of engineer John Bradfield, who oversaw the design of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and inspire leaders to keep building this great international city into the future.