Penrith City Council Mayor, Todd Carney, has expressed his disappointment at yesterday’s Federal Government announcement of widespread infrastructure cuts, saying the scrapping of local projects came as a shock.
“To see the extent of the projects that have been cut from Western Sydney, and namely the Penrith Local Government Area (LGA) is quite a shock,” Mayor Carney said.
“More people are choosing to live and work in the Penrith region and these transport links were going to provide the critical infrastructure needed to accommodate our growing population.
“What’s frustrating is that Council is being pushed and feeling the pressure to supply additional housing stock, yet we are missing out on the upgraded infrastructure that is necessary to meet the demand.
“Council is essentially carrying the burden without any support from the Government, and that is going to drastically impact our community.”
The axed projects in the Penrith LGA include:
- Commuter Car Park Upgrade – T1 North Shore, Northern and Western Line – Kingswood;
- Commuter Car Park Upgrade – T1 North Shore, Northern and Western Line – St Marys;
- Mulgoa Road Stage 2 – Glenmore Parkway to Jeanette Street, Stage 5A Blaikie Road to Jamison Road and Stage 5B Jamison Road to Union Road;
- Werrington Arterial Stage 2 – Planning Western City Road Transport Network Development – Planning;
- M7-M12 Interchange – part of the planned transport connection to and from the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.
“Mulgoa Road Stage 1 upgrade is happening now, but that is just one part of a multi-stage upgrade that is needed for one of our city’s busiest roads. Delays or cancellation of this project will have a significant impact on the resident of Glenmore Park. And with an additional 1,700 homes planned for Glenmore Park to help deal with the growing housing demand cancellation will increase the impact on already strained road networks,” Mayor Carney said.
“The Werrington Arterial Stage 2 is a project Council has long advocated for as the critical ‘missing link’ in our road network. This project would create transport connections and alleviate congestion, with more than 22,000 vehicles per day travelling between the M4 at St Marys, the Great Western Highway and the North-West Growth Area.”
Mayor Carney said all Western Sydney Councils that will be impacted by the increased traffic set to service the Airport and aerotropolis must band together with the NSW Government and call for a stronger commitment from the Federal Government on the delivery of infrastructure.
“Places like Penrith, Liverpool, Camden, Fairfield and Wollondilly will see our transport networks put to the test in the next few years – vital road and car park upgrades like the ones we have had axed need to be implemented before it’s too late, and our communities are left with the lasting impact,” he said.
