Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller on the city’s growth
Liverpool mayor Wendy Waller has lived in the area since she was two, and while the city has experienced one massive change after another, one thing remains the same.
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Liverpool mayor Wendy Waller has lived in the area since she was two, and while the city has experienced one massive change after another, one thing remains the same.
“Even though we’re a fairly thriving city with a lot of different people in it, we’re still a village in the sense that with a village comes a community think and people are connected, and that connection’s always been there,” Cr Waller said.
The past two years have been a whirlwind for Liverpool.
Western Sydney Airport is set to be a game changer for the area, with the Federal Government committing $5.3 billion over 10 years to build the airport at Badgerys Creek.
And as the first planes take off in 2026, a thriving aerotropolis will service the new airport as a hub for education, aerospace, tourism, manufacturing and agribusiness.
Big business is moving into the area; Amazon announced its second Australian fulfilment centre will be based in Moorebank while Costco will establish its western Sydney headquarters in Kemps Creek.
Skyscrapers dot the skyline as residential developments try to keep pace with Liverpool’s population growth.
And more growth is expected with Western Sydney University becoming the latest of three universities to place roots in the city centre, bringing thousands of students to Liverpool over the next few years.
It’s an entirely different world to the one of Cr Waller’s childhood — and it’s come with a unique set of challenges.
“Since the election in 2016 it’s like someone’s pressed button A and we’ve taken off. Liverpool’s become quite the centre of attention and so it should be,” she said.
Cr Waller said part of local government’s role was to promote a sense of community and with more people living in high-rise apartments, preventing social isolation was especially important.
“We need to make sure we’ve got good planning, especially for open space, community facilities, community events, things like that so people can come together and celebrate their culture but also their identity,” she said.
Existing open spaces where development is concentrated should be utilised and “planned properly”, she said, pointing to the successful revitalisation of Bigge Park and Macquarie Mall.
Liverpool Council will begin a review of its Local Environmental Plan 2008 — a framework that guides planning decisions through zoning and development controls — this year after receiving funds in the Western Sydney City Deal.
Cr Waller said it was “timely” to review it although it would be a “difficult path” to tread as the state government holds planning powers.
“Affordable housing, I think, is something we need to push for more of,” she said, adding it was crucial to attracting a “solid workforce” including nurses, doctors and emergency services personnel.
Cr Waller said much had been accomplished in Liverpool in the past two years and predicted a bright future for the growing city.
“I think Liverpool will be abuzz for the next 20 years at least,” she said.