A VIBRANT NEW COMMUNITY NEAR MACQUARIE UNI

Planning Minister Rob Stokes, Social Housing Minister Brad Hazzard and Innovation Minister and Member for Ryde Victor Dominello today announced an exciting new plan to create a vibrant and dynamic community precinct in the surrounds of Macquarie University Station.

Mr Stokes set out a new vision that will protect Macquarie Park’s thriving commercial centre while at the same time investigating opportunities for new apartment living and the necessary infrastructure to go with it.

“The NSW government has learnt the valuable lessons from the past. What we won’t be doing is creating a precinct without also delivering the complementary transport and social infrastructure such as schools and open green space that this new community needs to thrive,” Mr Stokes said.

“We’ll have an exciting opportunity to build on Macquarie Park’s success as a commercial hub and enhance this existing business space with a residential community as well, so it can continue to grow and thrive into the future.”

The new vision includes a precinct plan for the area surrounding Herring Road which will have the potential for up to 5,800 new homes by 2031, new parks, infrastructure upgrades and a major boost to social housing with the Ivanhoe Estate being redeveloped as a mixed housing community.

The NSW Government will invest $5 million into new infrastructure, working with the City of Ryde to improve existing parks and open spaces along Shrimpton Creek, and creating better accessibility to restaurants, shops and cycle ways to help turn this precinct into a modern, connected, liveable neighbourhood.

Mr Hazzard said that as part of the plan, the NSW Government would transform concentrated social housing estates into sustainable mixed communities and the Government would engage with the private sector to develop the eight hectare Ivanhoe Estate site into a mix of private, social and affordable housing.

“The NSW Government is putting words into action. We said we would boost the supply of social and affordable housing, we said we would look to the innovation of the private sector and we are delivering all of that in spades here,” Mr Hazzard said.

“We also want to use social housing to break the cycle of disadvantage – we want to encourage people in social housing to be aspirational, not generational.

“A number of the new social housing units will be used to trial innovative programs that link housing assistance to participation in education, training and local employment opportunities to promote independence.”

There will be 556 new social housing dwellings, at least 128 new affordable housing dwellings and some 1900 private dwellings on the Ivanhoe site, which currently comprises 259 social housing dwellings.

The affordable rental dwellings will be used to transition tenants from the social housing system.

The private sector will be asked by NSW Land and Housing Corporation and UrbanGrowth NSW to propose integrated approaches to “place making” of the new community, including planning, design, construction, social housing assistance and management.

Residents of the Ivanhoe Estate have been notified and Family and Community Services officers will conduct information sessions on the estate over coming days. Eligible tenants who wish to return once the redevelopment is complete are able to do so.

The NSW Government is also working alongside the City of Ryde to investigate how the adjacent Macquarie Park business centre could be further enhanced in order to realise its full potential.

Mr Dominello said a priority for the NSW Government is that the community reaps the benefits of housing growth and a strong local economy.

“The government will protect Macquarie Park’s thriving commercial centre and at the same time find ways to add new apartment living opportunities, restaurants, schools and open spaces – transforming a commercial centre into a community as well,” Mr Dominello said.

“Macquarie Park has the opportunity to be an innovation district, a space where we can foster collaboration and technological advancement for the benefit of our economy and community.”