How an ageing suburb plans to become Sydney’s next destination

Aside from the hum of the machinery from the under-construction Metro station, the northern end of Queen Street is quiet. Commuters get off the train and head straight for the bus, or walk down the footpath to visit one of St Marys’ long-standing corner shops, some of which have been there for over 25 years.

For many, it still feels like a small town, a pocket of western Sydney that has remained largely untouched by the development experienced by Penrith and Blacktown.

Over the next 20 years, that’s all expected to change.

The northern end of Queen Street in St Marys.Credit: Edwina Pickles

Under a new master plan from Penrith City Council, the St Marys town centre is set to become a thriving destination. Queen Street will be transformed into a mixed-use high street entertainment and dining precinct, walking and cycling routes will run across the town centre, and a new central park and community hub will form a “Civic Heart Precinct”.

Now, the town centre has a population of 3753 residents. That number is expected to jump to more than 25,000 by 2041. The master plan, which was endorsed in March, also envisions more than 8000 new jobs and about 9300 new dwellings over the next 20 years. Around the Metro and train station, buildings could reach up to 61 metres in height. And the new 23-kilometre Metro line will connect the suburb to the Western Sydney Airport.

Penrith Mayor Todd Carney believes the plan leverages the opportunities presented through the new transport line.

“It had been a vision of Penrith City Council for some time to actually really grow it and, leaning off the Western Sydney International Airport and Metro coming on board, we saw the vision and the future that St Marys could be,” he said.

It’s not the first time a new transport line has been considered transformative for St Marys. A sign on Queen Street documents the area’s origins as a roadside village in the 1840s, with the launch of the railway in the early 1860s serving as the catalyst for “significant industrial growth”.

And there could be more transport connections in the future. At the May 26 meeting, Penrith councillor John Thain called for express train services, which currently skip St Marys, to stop at the suburb when the new Metro opens.

On her way to the St Marys train station, western Sydney local Diane shared her thoughts on the vision of the town centre.

“It looks amazing, but I guess I’m concerned about how the traffic is going to cope, and the impact on the small shops, the people who have been here for so many years, and so I imagine it’s going to be really tough for them,” she said. “Change always comes at a cost, but it’s sort of always inevitable too.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has opened its bureau in the heart of Parramatta. Email [e-mail] with news tips.

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