Green Light For Civic Place

15 May 2009

The decision today by the NSW State Government to clarify the intention of the Lands Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act is welcomed by Parramatta City Council as it moves ahead with the first stages of the Civic Place development in the Parramatta CBD.

“The State Government recognises it is vital we deliver this ‘Federation Square’ for the people of Parramatta and western Sydney,” said Dr Robert Lang, CEO of Parramatta City Council.

“The clarification to the act fixes an anomaly so that we are able to acquire land adjacent to Council-owned land for an overall public purpose,” he said.

“Council’s vision for Civic Place is to bring together public and private land to make full use of the space in the heart of Parramatta. The benefits that Civic Place will bring will be like a breath of fresh air through an old and crumbling part of our urban landscape,” he said.

“Select powers of compulsory acquisition in the act were intended to allow Private Public Partnerships as a method to deliver major infrastructure projects, but the outcome of the High Court runs counter to this intention,” he said.

“It is simply good governance to correct something that was intended in legislation as a means to deliver much-needed civic infrastructure, in this case for all citizens of Parramatta,” Dr Lang said.

“The High Court ruled that the acquisition of a few properties in Darcy Street and Church Street was not an acquisition under the Local Government Act but an acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act. This is the narrow legal point on which we lost the case.”

“These properties in question form just 1 per cent of the total land area to be transformed into a new library with state of the art technology, a new art gallery, pedestrian links to the neighbouring Transport Interchange and vibrant open public space. Plus acres of new inner city residences and A Grade environmentally efficient quality office space essential for Sydney’s second CBD.”

“Important infrastructure such as this can only be delivered after the consolidation of the many small holdings along with Council owned land in the area. These properties will play their part in that consolidation and Council has always offered the owners above market rates for their land, an offer so far refused.”

“Much work needs to be done and the first steps Council will take in turning the first sod is to start the design and consultancy phase so that our partner Grocon can soon submit a 3A development application,” Dr Lang said.

“As the capital of Western Sydney, the people of Parramatta and western Sydney deserve to see the very best infrastructure built to support our rapidly growing region,” he said.