Riverstone businesses say they have lost 20 per cent of their income as people avoid the town centre because of delays at the level crossing. A Transport NSW spokeswoman said a report into the options should be available for public comment towards the end of the year.
$19 million investment
Minister for Transport, John Robertson, opened the Quakers Hill carpark with more than 200 spaces. The carpark and the station upgrade represent an investment of more than $19 million,
EOI in mall
Expressions of interest in the sale of The Mall Wentworthville close on October 28. The centre has an income of approximately $1.7 million annually fully leased. A DA has been approved for 67 residential units and an additional 500 square metres of retail floor space.
Deferral on levy funds
Parramatta City Council has deferred a decision on the future allocation of economic development special levy funds. Funds totalling $50,000 were made to support activities such as the Suncorp Western Sydney Awards, sponsorship of the Asia Business Connection, Parramatta Business Access Magazine and Greater Western Sydney Lifestyle Magazine.
Bunnings boosts outlets and jobs
Wesfarmer’s hardware chain Bunnings, which is building a new store at Seven Hills, has identified sites at Castle Hill, Greenacre, Rouse Hill and Smithfield as part of its $600 million investment in NSW over three years.
Jim’s back on board
Jim Bosnjak, former owner of the Parramatta-based Westbus transport company and deputy chairman of the West Sydney Razorbacks basketball team, which pulled out of the National Basketball League several years ago, is on the board of the Sydney Kings which will re-enter the competition in October.
DFO sold
CFS Retail Property Trust has acquired the DFO Homebush outlet and three in Victoria, from Austexx for $498 million to be funded through a new equity sale.
TAFE wins $5000 grant
Teachers at Wetherill Park TAFE have won a $5000 EnviroFund grant from the Teachers Credit Union for innovative work, using solar energy to power work stations in the automotive section of the college.
Firm wins employer award
Finished Products Pty Ltd, at Moorebank, has won the 2010 CRS Australia NSW/ACT Employer Award for its outstanding commitment to employing people with a disability.
Hospital project on target
The $390 million redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital is on target and almost 40 departments will move into the new buildings by the end of the year. By the end of 2011, it will have capacity for 855 beds, 23 operating rooms and 60 intensive care beds. When complete, the hospital will be the largest tertiary facility in NSW.
Restrictions remain in place
A spokesman for Planning Minister, Tony Kelly, said discussions were still in progress between his department and the federal government regarding removing the development restrictions, which have been in place for more than 25 years, on properties surrounding the abandoned Badgerys Creek airport site
Acquisition of properties
Parramatta City Council has resolved to acquire properties at 160 Church Street, and 12, 14 and 28 Darcy Street, as part of its $1.6 billion Civic Place redevelopment project. Council will seek to compulsorily acquire Darcy Street enabling it to be incorporated into the Civic Place project.
Area will be top priority
The NSW Cabinet has approved plans to establish the Sydney Metropolitan Development Authority (SMDA) which will create new sustainable urban centres with additional housing and commercial projects. The government has identified Granville Town Centre and Auto Alley as areas for consideration.
Boost for town centre
The Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, who has approved the first stage of a new Penrith local environmental plan, said it seeks to implement council’s vision for St Marys Town Centre, by supporting additional retail, commercial and residential space within the existing town centre boundaries
EOI in hotel site
Expressions of interest have been called for three lots to be sold individually on the Sunnybrook Hotel site: Lot 1 – new licensed hotel and Asian restaurant with DA approval; lot 2 – function complex currently leased to an event operator; and lot 3 – hotel with 141 guest rooms, swimming pool, restaurant and car park.
Exhibition of research building
The Department of Planning has on public exhibition a DA for the construction of a 7-8 storey, 12,921-square-metre research building, at the Children’s Medical Research Institute and Kids Research Institute, in the Westmead medical precinct.
$31 million Kmart facility
Australand Property Group has gained DA approval for a $31 million facility at Eastern Creek, comprising 50,000 square metres of warehouse and office space to serve Kmart stores in NSW. It will have an end value of $72 million. The project will create 220 ongoing jobs.
Gerry Harvey solves problem
Retailer Gerry Harvey has spent $61 million to buy 900 car spots as part of a feud with a rival retailer, which relates to the Penrith Supa Centa and its plans to build an extension over a parking lot used by Harvey Norman customers. Mr Harvey bought the property when the developer of the project, Pipven, went into receivership.
Academic wins award
Dr Melanie Bishop, from Macquarie University’s Department of Biological Sciences, has been recognised for her work on coastal conservation from an ecosystem context, at the NSW Scientist of the Year Awards. She received her award in the Environment, Water and Climate Change Sciences category.
Boost to tourism activity
Riverside Oaks could become the site of a Jack Nicklaus golfing university, a marina, a riverside concert arena that could seat 5000 people, a five-star hotel and an ecological village, according to a Hill Shire plan, which aims to market the region as a tourist destination.
$773m urban renewal project
The NSW Government and a consortia including Becton Property Group, Westpac, St George Community Housing and The Spotless Group, have completed stage one of the $733 million Bonnyrigg urban renewal project.
Economic impact of $80m proposal
An independent economic impact assessment, commissioned by Village Roadshow, of its proposed $80 million Wet ‘n’ Wild state-of-the-art theme park, at Prospect, concluded that the theme park would support more than 300 local full-time jobs during construction, support more than 278 jobs once operational, bring more than $340 million in tourism expenditure to Sydney during the first 10 years of operations.
Critics of $80 million project
While there has been initial support for the $80 million Wet'n'Wild theme park proposed at Prospect, from the NSW government, Blacktown City Council and the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC), the Blacktown City Chamber of Commerce & Industry president, Elias Kinnas, said he was reluctant to support the plan, as he believed it would offer little or no advantage to retailers in the local CBD.
Shareholders accept US bid
Shareholders of paint supplier and manufacturer, Wattyl, based at Norwest Business Park, overwhelmingly voted in favour of a $142 million takeover offer from the US-based Valspar Corporation.
Aldi’s expansion program
German supermarket chain, Aldi, will allocate more than $1 billion in capital funding to its Australian operation, based at Minchinbury, to support its aggressive growth strategy particularly in NSW and Victoria. Aldi is spending $35 million on a product development and quality assurance centre in Minchinbury and $145 million on a warehouse and distribution centre in Prestons
Sydney Water Wins Award
Sydney Water’s new operational facility, at Potts Hill, has won Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) award. The project would now go forward in its respective category for the National AIPM Awards.
Grant enables firm to expand
Paul-Tec Security (Australia) Pty Ltd, at Seven Hills, will be able to hire eight new staff following a $30,000 grant from Industry and Investment NSW.
ASICS has new head office
ASICS Oceania , part of the world's third biggest sports shoe company, has opened its Australian head office at Eastern Creek. The new property is essentially double the size of its Seven Hills site.
400 apartments for CBD
Meriton Apartments has purchased the former David Jones site, in Church Street in the Parramatta CBD, for $36.5 million and proposes to develop 400 apartments in two towers as well as a 4000-square-metre retail development including a major supermarket tenant. Meriton has also acquired a 50-year lease over the adjacent 520-car park.
20-storey building approved
Blacktown City Council and the Sydney West Joint Regional Planning Panel have approved a $25 million, 20-storey mixed-use complex in Second Avenue. The highest building in the area is currently eight stories.