CRCWSC scopes Cooks River project with partners

The CRC for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) met with partners and stakeholders on 18 July to scope a project on Cooks River in the Sydenham  to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor.

The New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment is developing the Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor Strategy, planning for an expected 35,400 new homes and 8,700 new jobs within the corridor over the next 20 years. This strategy supports the Sydney South West metro project and takes in 11 precincts over two local government areas. Currently the corridor has mostly single dwellings and there expected to be areas of medium to high density.

Cooks River, a tributary of Botany Bay, runs through the Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor, and our partners Cooks River Alliance and Inner West Council (formerly Marrickville Council) have focused on improving the water quality and ecological integrity of the catchment for some time.

A CRCWSC project would focus on identifying urban development within the precincts and how this will be translated into Local Planning Statements, Local Environmental Plans, and Development Control Plans.

The recent scoping meeting attracted our partners and other key stakeholders in the area, including Greater Sydney Commission, the Department of Planning and Environment, Cooks River Alliance, Sydney Water, Inner West Council, and Canterbury Bankstown Council.

All participants were enthusiastic about a CRCWSC project that would help to guide the water sensitive development of this significant area, and a project steering committee is now in place for the project.

Since the scoping meeting, the Department of Planning and Environment has announced that planning control for this corridor will now be handed back to local government. This is a significant achievement for the council and community, and provides an important opportunity for the CRCWSC to work with all stakeholders to help shape development in this area.

The Cooks River scoping meeting is a great example of an ‘Ideas for …’ project, which we offer to partners and stakeholders as a way of identifying relevant collaborative opportunities. If you’d like to discuss an ‘Ideas for …’ project with us, please contact the CRCWSC regional manager in your area:

New South Wales—Kristy Good (kristy.good@crcwsc.org.au)

Queensland—Chris Tanner (chris.tanner@crcwsc.org.au)

South Australia—Mellissa Bradley (mellissa.bradley@crcwsc.org.au)

Victoria—Euan Hind (euan.hind@crcwsc.org.au)

Western Australia—Emma Yuen (emma.yuen@crcwsc.org.au)

Other states and territories—Barry Ball (barry.ball@crcwsc.org.au)