Civic Link to connect Parramatta Square and Powerhouse

A $10.2m pedestrian link, sprawling garden and park half the size of a footy field is set to give thousands of new Parramatta dwellers a place to relax and play. See the plans.

The Civic Link threads from Parramatta Square to the river.

A $10.6m pedestrian and cyclist link at Parramatta will be fast tracked to support 3600 new homes in the booming CBD.

The state government plans to open the Civic Link, which includes a pedestrian path from Parramatta Square near the train station to Powerhouse Parramatta, and the foreshore.

The link, which Parramatta Council first adopted in 2017, will extend across four blocks and about 490m.

The project will see the creation of new green public space – about half the size of a football field – with a new pedestrian corridor.

An aerial view of Parramatta Square, near the train station.

A 3300sq m City Garden will feature public seating and spaces for outdoor dining to support local businesses, set within a landscape of large shady trees and water-sensitive urban design gardens.

Funding has also been allocated for new intersections at George and Phillip streets, footpath widening and planting of new large shade trees.

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Parramatta state Labor MP Donna Davis said the link would provide an important connection and provide pedestrian access from the river to four forms of public transport in the CBD.

“This link will provide a wonderful tree-lined boulevard for pedestrians to traverse from Parramatta CBD through to the new Powerhouse Parramatta, and the foreshore,’’ she said.

The link will connect to the riverside Parramatta Powerhouse Museum.

Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said NSW needed more housing to meet the needs of the state and Sydney’s demands.

“And housing needs community infrastructure to thrive,’’ he said.

“This project will assist us to meet our commitment to provide enabling infrastructure alongside housing.’’

Parramatta Lord Mayor Sameer Pandey said the link would be Parramatta’s “very own slice of the Champs-Elysees.

“Civic Link is so much more than just a pathway,’’ he said.

“It will provide a new cultural spine for the city that connects public life from the heart of the CBD to the river foreshore. A place to walk, gather, eat and enjoy events.’’