Riverstone West Announcement Clouded by Transport Issues

A new development area, the Riverstone West Business Park, was announced by the NSW State Government last week. Like all the Growth Centre developments, the plans and concepts look fantastic but transport was again a key talking point amongst local people. The Riverstone West Business Park plan has gone on exhibition and is part of the North West Growth Centre – see www.gcc.nsw.gov.au .

Here are some comments from the editorial and the letters section of the Rouse Hill Times:

The State Government is again failing the people of the north west by continuing
to increase the growth of the area and refusing to improve the infrastructure
and our transport options, and yet they give a second rail or metro link to
areas which are already well served by rail and light rail. (Northwest
Resident)

Riverstone can really help out Sydney and it needs to be urbanised.
It’s right along the Richmond line and the rail line has enormous benefits to
offer... But now it will be under stress. (Dennis Vossos)

Anyone who lives and works in the northwest will tell you current transport infrastructure is not anywhere near sufficient even before this business park opens ... This business park is destined to become the great white elephant of Sydney unless it is backed by a State Government .... to build rail in Sydney’s northwest. (Rouse
Hill Times editorial, 18 March 2009).

As one of these letter writers says, it seems like a gross misallocation of resources to spend $4.9 billion on the 7klm Metro trip to the inner west, which needs five under-harbour crossings, while huge areas of Western Sydney are not serviced adequately.