The Metropolitan Plan incorporates a funded $50.2 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan and to ensure the sustainable growth of Sydney.
According to the NSW Government the plan sets the housing and employment targets to sustainably manage ther growth and it will work with councils to meet these targets.
In line with figures released in October 2008, the NSW Government projects; Sydney’s population will increase from 4.28 million in the year 2006 to 5.98 million by the year 2036 – an increase of 1.7 million, or 40 per cent.
The number of Sydney homes will increase from 1.68 million in the year 2006 to 2.45 million by the year 2036 – an increase of 770,000 or 46 per cent and seventy per cent of the projected population growth will be driven by natural increase (births minus deaths) and 30 per cent by interstate and international migration.
This was one of the first updates of the 2005 Metro Strategy and builds on Sydney’s social, environmental and economic advantages to keep our city globally competitive.
The update supports; building at least 80 per cent of all new homes within walking distance of employment and retail centres with good public transport links; planning and infrastructure capacity for 760,000 more jobs in the greater Sydney metropolitan area by 2036.
Planning also includes; locating 50 per cent of jobs in western Sydney, including a proposed doubling of projected employment in south-west Sydney; strengthening the role of Parramatta as Sydney’s second CBD as part of a network of 34 strategic centres; protecting Sydney’s biodiversity and agricultural land by focusing most greenfield development in Sydney’s established growth centres; and outlining Sydney’s transport future, placing jobs and homes near existing and planned transport capacity.
Long-term urban renewal and freight corridors that will be further investigated, has also been outlined in the report.
Measures built within the plan to ensure it is implemented include a public annual update report, expanded performance indicators and a new Metropolitan Plan Delivery Group.
Ms Keneally said the plan was a demonstration of the Government’s focus on delivering new homes close to public transport infrastructure,” Ms Keneally said.
“On average, Sydney’s population will increase by 57,000 people a year over the next two decades and this plan will focus new homes near jobs and public transport,” she said.
“The Metropolitan Plan incorporates the Government’s Metropolitan Transport Plan, which includes $50.2 billion in projects to increase Sydney’s transport capacity.
According to Ms Keneally, combined with the Metropolitan Transport Plan that she released earlier this year, the Government now has a single land use and transport plan.
“Considering land use and transport planning as two halves of a whole will ensure we get maximum value from existing and planned transport and reduce the need for car travel,” she said.
“The plan also addresses the key challenge of climate change, containing urban sprawl which, left unchecked, would consume all of Sydney’s agricultural land within a generation.”
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