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Industry News, Latest News, New South Wales

Blueprint for Sydney city centre to help COVID recovery

A detailed planning review of Sydney’s city centre is set to play a key role in the city’s recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Sydney’s Central Sydney Planning Strategy is expected to be one of the most detailed planning reviews of the region in more than four decades.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the review provides a long-term vision that will promote job creation and economic growth, while protecting the inner-city’s heritage and public spaces.

“By providing for buildings taller than 300 metres and creating increased employment space, while ensuring high-quality design and protecting our important public places, this strategy provides a vision for the city’s commercial, residential and recreational future,” Moore said.

“Our communities, businesses, landowners and industries have all had the opportunity to contribute to the development of this strategy. It will help us lay the foundations for the city’s recovery from the devastating economic and social impacts of the coronavirus and maintain Sydney’s status as an attractive place for business investment.

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“Following extensive consultation and three years of block-by-block research, we are proud to present this blueprint for planning done well – allowing the city to grow with new skyscrapers that will also ensure sunlight continues to shine on treasured public spaces such as Hyde Park, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Martin Place and Wynyard Park.”

Moore said the plan is about strengthening public open space, accessibility and connections to make moving around the city easier and more enjoyable for workers, residents and visitors.

“The new strategy uses extensive evidence-based work and considers the current and future needs of our city,” she said.

“We will protect, enhance and expand Central Sydney’s heritage, public places and open spaces for all to use and enjoy.

“If we want Sydney to maintain its status as an economic powerhouse of innovation and collaboration, it’s vital we safeguard economic floor space while allowing residential development to continue in the city centre.”

To ensure local infrastructure keeps pace with growth, Council will ask the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to amend the regulations to allow for a contributions levy of up to 3 per cent to apply to new development.

This increased levy will fund new infrastructure to support the increase in floor space in the planning proposal and ensure Central Sydney remains an attractive place for investment.

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