Eastern City District Plan Implementation Update

The Eastern City District comprises the nine LGAs of Bayside, Burwood, Canada Bay, City of Sydney, Inner West, Randwick, Strathfield, Waverley and Woollahra. The update overviews the projects and programs that support the District Plan's implementation.

Progress on actions of the district plan (July 2019 to end November 2020)

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Infrastructure and collaboration

Planning Priority E1 (Actions 1 – 6)
Planning Priority E2 (Action 7)

NSW Health: Planning has commenced for the $750 million Royal Prince Alfred Hospital redevelopment. Randwick Campus Redevelopment construction underway of new Integrated Acute Services Building at Prince of Wales Hospital ($720 million); and commenced planning of the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick Stage 1 and the Children's Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Construction underway on the Concord Hospital Redevelopment Stage 1 ($341 million). Planning underway for Green Square HealthOne (part of $100 million program). Planning underway for a Mother and Baby Unit Royal Prince Alfred hospital (part of the $700 million Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program)⁶⁹.
School Infrastructure NSW: Has 8 upgrade projects and three new schools in planning or underway and 7 upgrades completed. 25 schools in the district have participated in the Share Our Space Program⁷⁰.
District Arts, Culture and Sport: Sydney Modern Project, the Art Gallery of NSW’s expansion works have commenced and construction is scheduled for completion in 2022⁷¹.
Local Infrastructure: In financial year 2018-19 over $100 million was received from development contributions and voluntary planning agreements which helped fund local roads, stormwater management and land for open space and community services and other public benefits⁷².

Liveability

Planning Priority E3 (Actions 8 - 9)
Planning Priority E4 (Actions 10 - 15)
Planning Priority E5 (Actions 16 – 17)
Planning Priority E6 (Actions 18 – 22)

LHSs: All councils are updating or preparing LHSs, with drafts exhibited for Bayside, Burwood, Canada Bay, Inner West, Randwick and Sydney LGAs, and provided to DPIE for assessment for approval. The draft LHS for Waverley has been exhibited but not yet provided to DPIE. Woollahra and Strathfield strategies are being prepared, consistent with the shortterm action in their LSPSs. Seven councils have identified affordable housing policies in their draft LHSs, including Inner West, Canada Bay and Burwood Councils that have identified opportunities to implement affordable housing contribution schemes along growth corridors along Parramatta Road.
6-10 year housing targets: Councils must show how they can meet an indicative draft range for 6-10 year housing targets (2021-22 – 2025-26) of 8,500-10,500 dwellings in Bayside, 2,200-2,500 dwellings in Burwood, 3,800-4,000 dwellings in Canada Bay, 14,000-15,000 dwellings in City of Sydney, 5,000-5,700 dwellings in Inner West, 4,000-4,300 dwellings in Randwick, 3,500-3,800 dwellings in Strathfield, 1,250-1,350 dwellings in Waverley and 500-600 dwellings in Woollahra.
Streets as Shared Space Program: A state-wide pilot program has awarded grants (one-off grant funding of $15 million) to councils for temporary activation projects that support the community during COVID-19 and also test ideas for more permanent improvements to local streets, paths and public spaces. Successful projects that will be granted funding include Bayside’s Place Making on Russell Avenue in Sans Souci which includes a pilot trial of community parklets alongside wide-off road cycleways ($100,000), Canada Bay’s new ‘Heart’ of Drummoyne Town Centre public square and one-way street trial which will include temporary street closures and traffic changes with seating, greenery and art installations ($100,000), City of Sydney’s temporary road closures on George Street which will provide public space for cultural activation and pedestrian space ($100,000) and Randwick’s shared space within Coogee Bay Village which will involve a temporary street closure and expanded public space with street furniture, play area, lighting, art installation, stage and outdoor dining ($100,000)⁷³.
Parramatta Road Urban Amenity Improvement Program (PRUAIP): A $198 million initiative to improve open space and active transport links in 6 councils including Strathfield, Burwood, Inner West, Canada Bay, Cumberland and Parramatta. Inner West has identified a number of projects to be delivered including greenway connections under Parramatta Road and Longport Street, public domain improvements to a number of key north-south streets next to Parramatta Road, a new cycle connection along Dot Lane, conversion of Petersham Street to a ‘pocket park’, a new north-south pedestrian and cycle connection along Johnson’s Creek and public domain improvements and a cycle connection to Pyrmont Bridge Road between Parramatta Road and Mallet Street. Canada Bay will provide upgrades to the Charles Heath Reserve in Five Dock, including a regional children’s playground, outdoor exercise station and public domain works such as barbecue facilities, seating, landscaping improvements and works to the existing adjacent Five Dock Leisure Centre to build a café. The NSW Government announced in April $20 million in funding to help deliver 10 projects of the PRUAIP within the Inner West LGA⁷⁴.
Places to Love Program: Burwood is developing Hornsey Lane, with three new murals, landscaping, smart poles and seating along the new pedestrian link connecting to Burwood's upgraded library, community hub and council chambers. City of Sydney is extending the pedestrianisation of George Street to create a continuous pedestrian boulevard⁷⁵.

Productivity

Planning Priority E7 (Actions 23 – 25)
Planning Priority E8 (Actions 26 – 29)
Planning Priority E9 (Actions 30 – 32)
Planning Priority E10 (Actions 33 – 37)
Planning Priority E11 (Actions 38 – 50)
Planning Priority E12 (Actions 51 – 52)
Planning Priority E13 (Actions 53-57)

Industrial and Employment Lands Studies: Bayside has prepared a draft Centres and Employment Lands Strategy. Burwood is preparing a Local Employment and Investment Strategy. Randwick has completed its Economic Development Study and will be commencing an Economic Development Strategy. Canada Bay, Inner West and Waverley have completed Industrial and Employment Land Studies/ Strategies. City of Sydney adopted its Employment Lands Strategy in 2014 and is currently undertaking its 5-year review. Strathfield has completed its Local Employment and Productivity Strategy. Woollahra will implement place plans for the economic revitalisation of the Double Bay and Oxford Street, Paddington local centres. commence plans for its employment lands. City of Sydney’s Central Sydney Strategy is being finalised and will provide up to 50 per cent additional employment floor space in tower cluster areas.
Sydney Gateway Project: Planning for a high capacity connection from Sydney Airport and Port Botany to the new WestConnex St Peters Interchange is progressing with the Environmental Impact Statement and draft Major Development Plan that were publicly exhibited between November 2019 and February 2020⁷⁶.
Sydney Fish Market: A new 3-storey building, wharf and boating facilities for fishing fleet servicing, a multi-purpose wharf and the capacity for a private-operated ferry stop, retail premises for shops, markets and food and drink premises, business and office premises, multi-functional spaces and areas for exhibitions, events and functions, approved as part of the Planning Acceleration Program⁷⁷.
Central Sydney Planning Framework: The draft Central Sydney planning framework was endorsed by the City of Sydney in February 2020. The framework proposes changes to planning controls that increase the amount of additional employment floorspace to over 2.9 million square metres⁷⁸.
Central Sydney Precinct: Planning is underway to create a technology and innovation precinct. The State Significant Precinct rezoning proposal for the Western Gateway sub-precinct was rezoned in August 2020 and will enable delivery of 232,000 sq.m. of commercial, retail and hotel use including Atlassian’s new global headquarters⁷⁹.

Sustainability

Planning Priority E14 (Actions 58 – 61)
Planning Priority E15 (Action 62)
Planning Priority E16 (Actions 63 - 64)
Planning Priority E17 (Actions 65 - 66)
Planning Priority E18 (Action 67)
Planning Priority E19 (Actions 68 - 73)
Planning Priority E20 (Actions 74 - 76)

Five Million Trees Program: Funding of $1.5 million for Bayside, Canada Bay, City of Sydney, Inner West, Strathfield, Waverley, Woollahra to expand urban tree canopy⁸⁰.
Callan Park: Renewal funded by the NSW Government with initial $10 million investment to create more green space and opening up the waterfront⁸¹.
Circular Economy: Visy Dry Recyclables Facility for receipt and processing of up to 155,000 tonnes per year of dry recyclable waste from fully co-mingled and source separated kerbside collections, approved as part of the Planning Acceleration Program⁸².
The Iron Cove Greenway and the Hawthorne Canal: The Greenway links and the Parramatta River at Iron Cove to the Cooks River at Canterbury and is a joint project between Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown Councils. Detailed designs for new and enhanced links have been completed⁸³.
Cooks River Open Space Corridor: Strathfield developed a plan in consultation with neighbouring Canterbury-Bankstown for the part of this priority Green Grid corridor that runs through their LGA. This is supported by $200,000 in funding from the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Greenspace Program⁸⁴.
Wolli Creek Regional Park and Bardwell Valley Parklands: Bayside is preparing a long-term vision and implementation strategy for this priority Green Grid corridor, in consultation with neighbouring Canterbury-Bankstown. This is supported by $200,000 in funding from the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Greenspace Program⁸⁵.
Mill Stream and Botany Wetlands Open Space Corridor: Bayside is developing a spatial framework which will develop future options for delivering this priority Green Grid corridor. This is supported by $200,000 from the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Greenspace Program⁸⁶.
Rockdale Wetlands Open Space Corridor: Bayside is developing a vision and delivery plan for this priority green grid corridor. This is supported by $200,000 from the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Greenspace Program⁸⁷.
Everyone Can Play: The Everyone Can Play grant program will deliver new and upgraded play spaces in the Woollahra, Randwick, Canada Bay, Strathfield and Bayside⁸⁸.
Green Plans: A Green Plan has been finalised for Arncliffe-Banksia precinct⁸⁹.

Wetland management in Bayside and new cycleways introduced during pandemic