Wilton New Town will be “great new town or no town at all:” Wollondilly mayor Judy Hannan
Wilton New Town will be “a great new town or no town at all”, Wollondilly Council has announced.
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- Developers say ‘very best’ town planning in place
- Councillors raise concerns over Wilton New Town
- Wilton a priority growth area
WILTON New Town will be “a great new town or no town at all”, Wollondilly Council has announced.
Wollondilly Mayor Judy Hannan today held a press conference outlining the council’s vision for the city, which is planned to rival the size of Port Macquarie, and increase the shire’s population by about 50,000.
Cr Hannan said councillors were feeling the pressure to release portions of land to begin the development, but wouldn’t do so until the State Government committed to providing infrastructure including roads, rail, a school and medical facilities.
“Wilton New Town has the potential to deliver positive outcomes for the community if well planned, but we need to see a clear staging of public transport, health services and infrastructure,” she said.
“We believe that any release of land, including rezoning at Wilton, needs a commitment from the government to fix many outstanding problems.
“To build a town on the fringes of Sydney, and expect people to travel more than an hour and a half to work is unacceptable, and we need the provision of rail services, including electrification.
“Currently we have children travelling to 17 different schools outside our shire, and we need the NSW Government to commit to providing a K-12 school, as our public schools are already full.”
Cr Hannan said she would like to see Wilton New Town become a “30 minute city,” where residents could access jobs, education and recreation in less than half an hour’s travel time.
She said without the provision of a local employment target, residents of the new city would likely have to commute to Sydney, and in doing so add to congestion and parking problems at Camden and Campbelltown.
“Two thirds of Wollondilly residents travel out of area for work and that’s now, before we have a new city,” she said.
“We need access to a range of local jobs, and land should only be released when the appropriate number of jobs are provided.
“Council feels that it’s under pressure to release some of these portions of land, but let’s release the entirety with the promise of infrastructure.”
Cr Hannan said she recently approached NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on the subject, and planned to hold a meeting with government representatives in the near future.
“To make sure Wilton is a great new town, we will invite the premier, minister, state and federal governments and developers to meet with us and hear our vision,” she said.
“There’s no division from council on this. We all want the development, but we don’t want to add on to our issues here or the issues of Camden and Campbelltown.
“We’re not on the war path, we’re advocating for everyone to work together.
“Our message to everyone out there is that we’ll have a great new town or no town at all.”
Council have released an advocacy paper outlining their vision for the city, and is currently awaiting a land use report that will identify how land at Wilton can be best used to achieve this.
Wilton New Town proponents respond
Wilton New Town developers, Bradcorp, Governors Hill and Walker Corporation, say they “wholeheartedly agree” the city should be supported by a significant investment in infrastructure.
In a combined statement released today, the landowners welcomed Wollondilly council’s advocacy paper, and reaffirmed their intent to work closely with each other, the council, and state and federal governments.
“With a project of such scale we would expect the council and community to want assurances that essential infrastructure and amenity are properly considered,” the statement said.
“We wholeheartedly agree that Wilton New Town needs to be supported by significant investment in key infrastructure including public transport and roads, new schools, access to health services and plenty of jobs and we have advocated this view for many years.
“We agree with council about the need for a coordinated approach and can today confirm the appointment of experienced strategic and statutory planner Robert Bennett from Elton Consulting as independent coordinator to work closely with the council and state agencies on behalf of the land owners.”
The developers have confirmed that as part of their commitment to the project, they will invest more than $500 million towards infrastructure, including road upgrades, public transport, two new public primary schools, public K-12 school, private K-12 school, playing fields and recreational lake.
“The declaration by the State Government of Wilton New Town being within a new priority growth area recognises the area’s great potential, and we strongly agree with the council that best practice design and infrastructure delivery are essential for achieving a healthy, vibrant and sustainable new community,” the statement said.
“We will continue the consultation process so that the community can feel confident that Wilton New Town will deliver on the vision promised as well as preserving the natural beauty of this region.”
Proponents said the development included plans for 11,000 permanent jobs as well as 1,700 construction jobs over 30 years.
Their vision includes 12,000 houses with fibre connection to the NBN, 100km of walking and cycling trails, four childcare centres, a shopping district, library and community centre.
Proponents have also committed to $178.5 million for roads, including upgrades to the Hume Highway, Picton Rd, Picton Rd interchange, and retention of a heavy rail corridor for a future rail line funded by the government.
A spokesperson from the Department of Planning and Environment said a Land Use and Infrastructure Implementation Plan for the city would be put on public exhibition soon.
“The detailed plan outlines the key infrastructure that will be put in place for Wilton including four new primary schools, a high school, an integrated health centre and other community facilities and open space,” he said.
“The Department has worked closely with council and landowners to resolve extensive planning issues including public transport needs, mining, vegetation and roads and traffic upgrades.
“In addition, experts have given advice on traffic and transport, utilities, water quality, biodiversity, social infrastructure, housing, economic development, employment and retail analysis, and urban design.
“The Department of Planning and Environment shares Wollondilly Shire Council’s vision that Wilton can be a great new town, with opportunities for jobs and a vibrant culture.”