Camden from above: Council calls for feedback on draft road map as population to double by 2036

Southwestern Sydney has gone from semirural to housing estates in a decade, and it’s not finished growing with one region’s population to double. See the change with our interactive tool.

One area in southwest Sydney is expected to double in size in less than two decades with one developer saying the region and all it has to offer is the “world’s best kept secret”.

According to the council, much of the community that will live in the Camden local government area in 2036 does not live there today. In 14 years, the LGA is forecast to be home to a 119 per cent increase in population - more than a quarter of a million people.

Mayor of Camden Therese Fedeli said the plan put council in the perfect position to seize the opportunities of a growing Camden.

“The Camden area is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, welcoming more than 100 new residents moving in every week,” she said.

“Catering for the needs of our current residents is vital, however, so too is the need for council to plan and prepare for our future to ensure we make Camden the best it can possibly be.

“I look forward to working with our community and encouraging them to be a part of this journey as we move towards an exciting future for our beautiful and thriving Camden.”

Stephen McMahon, the NSW president of the Urban Development Institute of Australia, said Camden and the greater Macarthur area was benefiting from recent and ongoing infrastructure investment.

He said some examples included the railway lines, the upgrades to Bringelly Rd and Camden Valley Way, the Western Sydney International and the Aerotropolis.

“The amazing thing about greater Macarthur is it has a lot of amenity, a great amount of history, an amazing landscape and its surrounded by national parks and there are a lot of old towns that bring a lot of character,” Mr McMahon said.

“Also, when you go down Mt Ousley Rd it is very quick to get to the beach.

“When you think of Western Sydney it’s isolated and far away, but it’s not, especially when the Aerotropolis is fully developed and it will be a huge employment hub.”

Mr McMahon is the developer behind two big projects in the region including the Wilton Town Centre and lots in Bringelly.

He said developers now, and especially in the Macarthur region, have a focus on contemporary environmental protections.

“The growth that is happening in Macarthur now is very different to the growth that was happening 30 years ago as there is a lot more consideration into protecting the national environment,” Mr McMahon said.

“There is so much going for this region in the next 20 years and when you work out all the growth areas from the Aerotropolis down through to Wilton it’s almost the same scale as a new Adelaide in a physical footprint.

“Southwest Sydney and in particular the greater Macarthur is the world’s best kept secret.”

Mr McMahon said he could understand that current residents in the region might fear that such population growth coupled with a development boom might cause issues.

He said it was a natural reaction but he said that Camden Council as well as Campbelltown and Wollondilly councils were doing a fantastic job and were “up to the task”.

“Of all the growth areas in Australia, I would say the Macarthur area is where you least need to be concerned,” Mr McMahon said.

“There is so much emphasis on environmental protection, sustainable neighbourhoods, and protecting and promoting existing character.

“If your concern that your growth is going to be poorly executed, I would say it’s very different today in the 21st century.”

In an extraordinary set of aerial photographs by Australian location intelligence company Nearmap, the full scale of Camden LGA’s transformation over the past decade can be revealed.

Nearmap provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects.

For the last few weeks, Camden residents have been invited to have their say on the document that will guide the council’s key planning, investment, operational and leadership decisions to 2036.

The draft Community Strategic Plan provides a road map for the council and is broken down into five directions labelled welcoming, liveable, prosperous, balanced and leading.

The report from council said that Camden is on the doorstep of a new international airport, and its centres are the closest to the airport, with Narellan as the largest centre and a key commercial hub.

The Leppington Town Centre is being planned now and Oran Park has room for expansion.

“These centres can accommodate and support the future jobs needed in the LGA,” the report revealed.

“As residential population grows, we should also see a trend towards a higher number of enterprise businesses and population-serving jobs in industries such as retail, health care, construction and education.

“Growth and development in the Western Parkland City and the new airport and Aerotropolis provide opportunities not previously available in Camden. There will be more opportunities to sustain a strong local economy, increase local jobs and attract new businesses and global institutions.”

The draft plan breaks down what Camden needs to cope with the boom in population.

It notes the region is at risk of increasing climate impacts such as urban heat and vulnerability to bushfire and flooding.

“Caring for the natural environment, enhancing important natural assets such as South Creek, and carefully designing the built environment will have lasting benefits,” the report reads.

It also identifies ongoing evolution of Oran Park Town Centre, and the future plans for South West Rail Link, Leppington Town Centre, and regional health and education institutions as important projects.