New Business Park to bring 10,000 jobs to Macarthur
As featured:
Nine News Sydney
South West Voice
Walker Corporation today revealed plans for a major new employment hub in the Macarthur region, a 400ha business and innovation park set to be the largest in Greater Sydney.
The new $1.9 billion Macarthur Business Park will create job opportunities for over 10,000 professional and skilled jobs, becoming a major economic catalyst for the Wollondilly, Campbelltown and Macarthur region, attracting new talent and investment to the area.
Identified as an employment centre by the NSW State Government in 2018, the technology and innovation precinct will capitalise on its prime location between Sydney CBD, Wollongong, Canberra and Western Sydney Airport. The proposal will leverage nearby transport infrastructure to service one of the country’s fastest growing populations, with up to 22,000 new homes projected for the neighbouring Appin and North Appin precincts over the next decade.
Walker Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer David Gallant said the Macarthur Business Park will allow young professionals and future generations to build fulfilling careers locally, contributing to a more dynamic and resilient community.
“We are prioritising infrastructure alongside housing and the Macarthur Business Park will create new opportunities for residents of the Greater Macarthur to live and work locally, reducing their time commuting so they can have more time at home with their families,” Mr Gallant said.
“Our plans for Macarthur Business Park support the growth of key health, education, manufacturing, information technology, legal and business services, logistics, hospitality and retail sectors to create a dynamic and resilient local economy.”
L to R: Mayor of Campbelltown Dr George Greiss, Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue CEO Adam Leto, Campbelltown Council General Manager Lindy Deitz and Walker Managing Director and CEO David Gallant
Member for Campbelltown and Parliamentary Secretary for Western Sydney Greg Warren welcomed the announcement, saying he will continue to work with all levels of government and stakeholders to secure the jobs and investment that our community needs and deserves.
"400ha creating 10,000 professional jobs will have an enormous benefit to our local community and our region," said Mr Warren.
"I’ve always believed that working together achieves the best outcomes, and this is an example of that. When we see the influx of people that are coming to our region, right now and into the future, innovations and commitments like this are exactly what we need."
Campbelltown Council Mayor Dr George Greiss said the employment hub would be a huge investment in the Macarthur population.
“This is a great outcome for our region as so many of our residents now travel over an hour and a half both ways to get to work each day. I’m a huge advocate for supporting our region with a greater diversity of local jobs as we continue to grow,” Mayor Greiss said.
Macarthur Business Park will boost connectivity for the region with the first stage plans activating the delivery of a new interchange off the Hume Motorway linking the new Business Park with the future East-West connector road linking to Appin Road and through to the Illawarra region. The Macarthur Business Park will have direct access to the planned Outer Sydney Orbital which will provide future connectivity to the Western Sydney Airport and the Aerotropolis.
The Macarthur Business Park will strengthen the existing business economy while attracting significant investment and innovation to the region by providing premium commercial office spaces, large-format retail and hospitality centres, supermarkets, a tavern, healthcare and childcare services.
An artist impression of the tavern at Macarthur Business Park
Large Format Retail Association Chief Executive Officer Philippa Kelly supported plans to deliver a major new employment hub at the Macarthur Business Park.
“Large Format Retail is a strong employment generator, and we know when we create jobs and stimulate local economies, the community’s productivity and quality of life improves significantly,” said Ms Kelly.
“There is a strong demand for suitably located large format retail in New South Wales, so this is a great step by Walker to ensure its future communities have access to the essentials close to home while creating opportunities for skills development and training in the Macarthur region.”
Member for Wollondilly Judy Hannan MP welcomed the announcement, saying infrastructure and new transportation links will be key to supporting the region’s transformation to a major commercial centre.
“Macarthur Business Park will help connect the region to key strategic centres, reinforcing the need for infrastructure projects like the Maldon-Dombarton railway linking Wollondilly to the Illawarra and future Western Sydney Airport,” Mrs Hannan said.
“I’m really passionate about ensuring our community has access to jobs and infrastructure as new housing is delivered in Wollondilly, the Macarthur Business Park will be the impetus for a lot of this infrastructure.”
An artist impression of the future Macarthur Business Park
Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue Chief Executive Officer Adam Leto said this was a major investment in jobs infrastructure alongside housing.
“We have always been a big believer in greenfield housing being a strong deliverer of supply as long as it is backed by quality infrastructure and the Macarthur Business Park will bring thousands of local jobs along with the new houses which will be built in the adjoining communities over the coming decade.” Mr Leto said.
“The tens of thousands of new homes and jobs planned for the region also reaffirms the need for improved rail and road connections, including a passenger and freight link from Port Kembla to Wilton, as well as a future Metro line running from the Western Sydney Airport to Macarthur.”
Plans by adjacent developers to deliver another business park will bring additional jobs to Macarthur, further strengthening the region’s economic potential.
To keep locals and visitors informed about infrastructure plans for Future Appin neighbourhoods and the Macarthur Business Park, Walker recently opened the Appin Planning and Discovery Centre, investing over $1 million to restore the dilapidated Appin Inn into a community information centre with interactive technology.