Plans for a mega-city incorporating the Central Coast and stretching from the Lower Hunter and Newcastle in the north to Illawarra-Shoalhaven in the south have taken a step forward with the release of the Six Cities Discussion Paper for public comment.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the plan was to establish a globally competitive city region with more jobs, housing, education opportunities and lifestyle benefits, bettering the lives of everyone in the Six Cities.
“Our ambitious vision includes unlocking new opportunities for businesses across the Six Cities in traditional industries and also in the industries of the future such as defence technology, aerospace, medtech and renewable energy,” he said.
“This vision also lays the groundwork to supercharge the development of more modern and advanced manufacturing in the Six Cities which will be key to boosting economic activity and creating more skilled jobs.”
Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport, Rob Stokes, said the Sandstone City region can become a global exemplar of sustainable urban development.
“Housing targets need to be more ambitious to address supply challenges and I want to ensure that all new residential development on Government land includes 30 per cent social, affordable and diverse housing,” Stokes said.
“With more migrants set to settle in the Six Cities – our plans will include targets to achieve the housing we need.
“We also have to reduce our dependence on cars and provide more safe options for people to walk or cycle.
“In order to achieve that we need to continue to plan and invest in the right active transport infrastructure.”
Intended as a starting point for a deep engagement period throughout the Six Cities, both online and in-person, the discussion paper is a precursor to a Six Cities Region Plan which will be undertaken next year.
The paper sets out six key “region shapers” to form the basis of a united mega-city.
These focus on including First Nations involvement, connectivity, housing, inclusive places, jobs and economies and greening up the cities.
To ensure an embedded First Nations voice, the Greater Cities Commission plans to establish a First Nations Advisory Panel to advise on regional strategic planning.
The Panel will operate as a voice to the Commission and guide implementation of Region and City Plans.
First Nations peoples will be involved in strategic planning, linking to the NSW Government’s Implementation Plan for the National Agreement on Closing the Gap by: creating new partnership frameworks; amplifying First Nations perspectives in NSW Government decision making; increasing First Nations representation on decision making and advisory bodies; seeking feedback on the cultural safety and appropriateness of engagement and planning and how these can improve; and assessing how programs and policies will impact First Nations communities.
To achieve a Connected Six Cities Region, the Commission will identify high-priority precincts in each of the six cities and work with State and Federal governments, local councils and the private sector to prioritise increased digital connectivity in these.
The Region and City Plans will identify locations with low rates of digital connectivity and where higher speed or increased connectivity would support innovation districts.
To improve connectivity, the Commission will work with Transport for NSW on six cities airports and ports strategies for integration in the Region and City Plans and work on fast rail to facilitate more reliable journey times, opportunities to grow housing supply in accessible high amenity areas and provide improved access to employment, services and opportunities.
Faster and easier access to cultural and recreational activities would boost quality of life, domestic and international tourism, the 24-hour economy, and the service industry, the paper says.
It says prosperous and vibrant economy in the main cities would flow on to suburbs and rural areas and interconnected cities would make NSW a bigger player in the global market, attracting global talent and investment.
Region and City Plans will see improved public transport in Newcastle, the Central Coast and Wollongong, the paper says.
In seeking to ensure housing supply, diversity and affordability with City Plans to set five, 10 and 20 year housing targets for each Local Government Area (LGA), including for resilient, adaptable, affordable and diverse housing.
The Commission will work with stakeholders including local and state governments, housing providers and industry to identify additional approaches to incentivise achievement of housing targets, the paper says.
The Region and City Plans will prioritise areas for housing developments that are connected to transport hubs and supported by local infrastructure.
The paper also suggests increasing the proportion of multi-unit and higher density housing in accessible locations that are supported by infrastructure.
The Commission will work with government at all levels to improve delivery of affordable housing, including new financing mechanisms, with a 10 per cent affordable housing target for new rezonings where there will be a housing uplift.
City Plans will set a target of up to 30 per cent for the proportion of social and affordable housing in residential developments on government land.
Powering local jobs and economies is another “region shaper”, with the Region Plan and City Plans to include globally significant innovation districts with strategic economic advantage in each city, to be linked to port and airport gateways, university campuses and VET training institutions.
The Region Plan will set job targets for each of the six cities and across four categories of jobs (knowledge-intensive, health and education, population-serving and industrial).
It will recommend the incentives, planning changes, investment and skills creation needed to achieve the targets.
In aiming to achieve climate-resistant green cities, the Region Plan and City Plans will embed pathways to accelerate the achievement of net zero under the NSW Net Zero Plan including: emissions reduction targets; targets for electric and zero-emissions vehicles; accelerated electrification of public transport; and strategies for increasing active transport.
The Region and City Plans will be informed by integrated data, including the priority actions set out in the NSW Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and the 2022 NSW Floods Inquiry, to reflect and respond to exposure and vulnerability to climate-related risks, particularly urban heat, bushfire and flooding.
City Plans will develop tree canopy investment strategies and set place-based targets for canopy cover.
They will also consider recycled water infrastructure
The discussion paper can be accessed on the Greater cCities Commission website.
The six “region shapers”
First Nations involvement
Connectivity in the six cities
Housing
Inclusive places
Jobs and economies
Greening up the cities
Terry Collins