What the eastern suburbs will look like in 2036

IN the near future, your bus from Bondi Junction to Bondi or the airport might be missing something — a driver. Driverless buses is just one of the ideas discussed in a new report recently released by the Greater Sydney Commission.

Picturing our future, including a new approach to transport and a “jobs hub” in Bondi Junction.

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IN the near future, your bus from Bondi Junction to Bondi or the airport might be missing something — a driver.

Driverless buses is just one of the ideas discussed in a new report recently released by the Greater Sydney Commission headed by Lucy Turnbull.

Its metropolitan vision — called the Draft Eastern City District Plan — is a planning blueprint for the city up to 2036.

The area’s population will grow to approximately 1.34 million by 2036.

“The world’s greatest cities are prosperous and great places to live and work,” said Ms Turnbull.

“With the Eastern City District’s population growing from almost one million to approximately 1.34 million by 2036, we need to plan for jobs, housing and essential services such as health and education.”

Waverley Mayor John Wakefield said he supported better bus services along Bondi Rd but not a tram.

Here is the commission’s forecast for the east:

How we’ll get around

Transport for NSW is trialling a driverless passenger bus to see how automated vehicles can improve services. If successful, we could soon see them on our roads.

Commuters board a bus along Bondi Rd, Bondi.

There are also plans to connect Bondi Junction and Bondi through an express bus or light rail. The express bus could also connect Bondi Junction with Sydney Airport via Randwick.

The commission’s plans coincide with the State Government’s Future Transport 2056 strategy which earmarks 100 projects for investigation in the east. The aim is that everyone will get to their job within a 30-minute commute.

Traffic along Bondi Rd, Bondi.

Planning for growth

The smallest population growth in the area is expected in Woollahra and Waverley local government areas (2,050 and 5,100 people respectively) to 2036.

More jobs locally

Bondi Junction will become a job hub, known as “strategic centre”. There were about 13,800 jobs there last year: there will be between 17,000 to 20,500 in 2036.

The report says the centre has opportunities to attract more “A-grade office tenants, medical services, education, cultural and creative spaces”. Connections to other employment centres will be improved — the cultural and creative activities at Moore Park, the Randwick health and education precinct, and its southern catchment area.

Wesfield Bondi Junction shopping centre is one of the biggest employers in the area. Pic: AAP Image/Jane Dempster)

Growth in homes

The greatest proportional increase in single-person households will be in the City of Sydney (from 45 to 48 per cent) and Waverley (34 to 37 per cent). In the next five years, Waverley’s housing target is to provide an extra 1,250 dwellings and Woollahra 300.

Going sustainable

This plan aims to have the East at net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Bondi wastewater treatment plant is now producing enough renewable energy from local organic waste to meet 100 per cent of its own requirements. It will also be able to return 13 per cent net energy back to the grid — which is enough to power about 150 households a year.

The coastal walk between Bondi and Tamarama.

Making the East an even better place to live

Building on the success of the Great Coastal Walk, the plan is for our east-west connections to be improved.

This will primarily be through street conversion projects and improved pedestrian and cycle links, from both Bondi and Bronte beaches, to Bondi Junction, Centennial Park, Moore Park, Oxford Street and the Harbour CBD.

The missing link from North Bondi to South Head will also be added.