Liveability

Liveability is about people's quality of life. Maintaining and improving liveability requires housing, infrastructure and services that meet people's needs; and the provision of a range of housing types in the right locations with measures to improve affordability. This enables people to stay in their neighbourhoods and communities as they transition through life.

Improving liveability is about creating and renewing great places, neighbourhoods and centres. This requires place-based planning and design excellence that builds on local strengths and focuses on public places and open spaces.

The Central City District is made up of a network of distinct centres, places and landscapes that are home to a diversity of people and cultures. It attracts people from across Greater Sydney and offers a welcoming and affordable lifestyle for a growing population.

The Central City District is a place of changing built form and urban fabric. Historically, the District constituted the industrial core of Greater Sydney. Significant and unprecedented investment in public transport is now enabling urban revitalisation for a new pattern of high density transit-oriented living.

The sheer volume of infrastructure spending is enabling Australia's biggest urban renewal in GPOP - a magnet for human talent, innovation and creativity. In the north of the District, Sydney Metro Northwest, Australia's first fully automated metro rail system will facilitate housing and jobs growth around new stations at Castle Hill, Showground, Norwest, Bella Vista, Kellyville and Cudgegong Road.

As the District's 2016 population of around 970,000 increases, it is ageing. By 2036, the number of residents over 65 is expected to grow by 106 per cent (an additional 122,100 people). The number of single-person households is expected to grow by 81 per cent, although couples with children are expected to remain the dominant household type.

These changes in population characteristics mean there will be comparatively fewer working age people (20-64 years) living in the District¹ (refer to Planning Priority C6).

Together with overall population growth of around 550,500 (2016-2036), these demographic changes mean that an additional 207,500 homes will be required across the District by 2036.

Infrastructure investment will unlock development capacity in the Greater Parramatta Growth Area, along the Parramatta Road and Sydney Metro Northwest corridors and in the North West Growth Area.

Great places are walkable - this means they are designed, built and managed for people of all ages and abilities to walk or cycle for leisure, transport or exercise. This requires fine grain urban form and land use mix at the heart of neighbourhoods. These places encourage healthy, active lifestyles and social interaction and can better support the arts, creativity, cultural expression and innovation.

The 30-minute city will guide decision-making on locations for new jobs and housing and the prioritisation of transport, health, schools and social infrastructure. This will facilitate the co-location of infrastructure in metropolitan and strategic centres and more direct public transport to these places.

A place-based and collaborative approach is required to maintain and enhance the liveability of the Central City District. This can be achieved by the following Planning Priorities:

C3. Providing services and social infrastructure to meet people's changing needs.

C4. Fostering healthy, creative, culturally rich and socially connected communities.

C5. Providing housing supply, choice and affordability, with access to jobs, services and public transport.

C6. Creating and renewing great places and local centres, and respecting the District's heritage.