A massive multi-billion pound building project is underway to transform one of the world’s favourite cities with an ambitious expansion plan to cope with a population rise double the size of Manchester.
Sydney, Australia, is famous for the iconic bridge and opera house that sit on one of the planet’s largest natural harbours and is a much-loved holiday and backpacking destination for hundreds of thousands of Brits every year.
With a population of 5.4 million the New South Wales urban giant is the largest city in Australia, beating rival Melbourne in the state of Victoria by more than 400,00 people.
But popularity of the city at home and abroad mean that planners in Sydney are having to think of ways to expand west to provide infrastructure for the new arrivals.
The Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan is an ambitious 10-year project providing roads, housing and business development for an expected extra one million people in the next 20 years.
According to the New South Wales Government, the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan “will transform the region’s economy and make Western Sydney an even better place to live and do business now and in the future.”
The oldest and most expensive areas of Sydney have traditionally been centred around the harbour, Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs.
With the Tasman Sea to the east the city has had to expand west towards the Blue Mountains as more and more people need space and more affordable places to live.
The huge building programme to expand west will include a 21-mile Northern Road, costing around £800 million, plus a £260,000 six-mile-long Bringelly Road upgrade.
Motorway links will also be improved with the NM12 linking the existing M7 and the Northern Road for around £1.3 million.
Further road improvements will be made to the Werrington Arterial Road, Glenbrook intersection and a number of smaller local roads.
Housing and businesses will benefit from the Bradfield City Centre Master Plan, which will create a commerical and residential new city close to the new Western Sydney Airport, which is currently under construction.
A spokesperson for the New South Wales Government said: “It is expected to deliver 20,000 direct jobs and is positioned to emerge as Australia’s premier hub for advanced and emerging industries.
“It is expected to also create up to 10,000 new homes for the people of Western Sydney.”