PROJECT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
PENRITH CITY COUNCIL’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO A PMO PENRITH CITY COUNCIL IN NSW IS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF AUSTRALIAN COUNCILS TO ESTABLISH A SPECIALIST PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. ‘PROJECT LIFECYCLE’ WAS ESSENTIAL FOR DELIVERY OF THE COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, SAYS PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, NATHAN RITCHIE.
The project management office (PMO) known as ‘Project Lifecycle’ was developed for the department to build new commercial and industrial developments to revitalise Penrith City, as well as diversify the council’s commercial revenue stream to deliver greater community benefit. Establishing a tailored system of management for a unique department was a challenge, which resulted in many valuable insights and learnings, but also a triumph as it has now become an award winning PMO. 22
LEVERAGING AN OPPORTUNITY A once in a generation change is underway to transform Penrith into a world-class city that is well connected by public transport, with plenty of choices for recreation activities and employment opportunities close to home. The council’s unique position of owning a significant amount of land in the city centre meant we could lead a lot of this growth for our city. To drive this transformation, we took an innovative approach through our internal property development department. While operating separately to the council, the department was tasked with using the strategic property portfolio to deliver innovative solutions for each site that would
