Draft Rouse Hill Precinct Plan Exhibition Brochure

Exhibition Brochure

Draft Rouse Hill Precinct Plan

A Plan to position Rouse Hill as a competitive mixed use centre that offers a range of residential, employment and lifestyle opportunities for the rapidly growing North West.

Vision

This Precinct Plan sets the framework for Rouse Hill to grow into a thriving regional destination and mixed use Strategic Centre, with employment opportunities to match the needs of local highly skilled residents. The vision for the Centre builds on previous strategic work by Council and the NSW Government as well as technical investigations focused on the Shire’s centres that provide insight into their unique features, role and function in the region. It advances the planning into finer grain, site specific detail to inform potential changes to planning controls and the infrastructure framework, which can occur as the market demands, with the support of appropriate infrastructure.

By 2041, Rouse Hill Strategic Centre will be a prime destination for knowledge intensive businesses focused on health, education, science, technology, finance and advanced manufacturing. Business will enjoy the proximity and ease of access to complementary services and facilities at nearby strategic centre of Castle Hill and Norwest and the economic competitiveness offered by enhanced connections to Sydney CBD, Greater Parramatta and the Western Sydney Airport. Rouse Hill will be a key part of a linked network of Strategic Centres and prominent office markets that spans across the Sydney Region and will offer a range of employment opportunities suited to the highly skilled workforce that lives in The Hills Shire and rapidly developing North West Growth Area.

Over the next 20 years the Rouse Hill Strategic Centre will grow into a location valued by workers, residents and visitors for its vibrancy and amenity. Capitalising on the opportunity to master plan large undeveloped parcels of land near the Metro Station and T-way interchange, Rouse Hill will become a walkable centre with high quality well designed buildings at its core. In addition to hosting a new public hospital and health hub, the Strategic Centre will provide appealing and safe places to shop, dine, socialise, live and enjoy cultural and leisure experiences, all within the walking catchment of high frequency mass public transport.

Lifestyle will be enhanced by well-planned, convenient walking and cycling tracks. These will connect employment areas and the Metro Station and convenient access to the Caddies Creek Corridor, new public plazas and open space in the heart of the Precinct. Rouse Hill will have a distinct local character and sense of place founded on the rich local history and Garden Shire identity and strengthened by enhancing and protecting areas of the public domain and building on the successful design principles and character already evident within the Centre.

With its unique lifestyle offer, access to skilled workforce, capacity to grow and increased accessibility resulting from existing and planned public transport investment, the Local Government Area has the right ingredients to become a magnet for employment growth and business activity.

– Mecone, 2021

Study Area

Metro Station

Metro Line (Above Ground)

Rouse Hill Strategic Centre

800m Walkability Catchment (current / existing connections)

Figure 1. Study Area - Rouse Hill Strategic Centre

Growth Forecast

Artist’s Impression of The Fiddler and Surrounds (Source: Tome Visuals)

Guiding Principles

Growing Employment

Delivering quality jobs matched to the skills of residents and growing a competitive, resilient local economy.

Infrastructure to Meet Needs

Ensuring adequate regional and local facilities such as schools, road upgrades, parks and playing fields to service future growth and meet the needs of residents and workers.

Delivering Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)

Providing for compact, walkable and liveable centres that contain a diverse mix of uses.

Improving Regional Connectivity

Capitalising on existing public transport to Sydney CBD and realising new connections to Parramatta and the Western Sydney Airport.

Achieving a 30-Minute City

Allowing more residents to work close to home, improving the lifestyles of residents, decreasing commute times and reducing traffic congestion.

Integrating ‘Smart’ Technology

Facilitating evolving technology into future developments to support residents, workers and visitors.

Diversity of Housing

Providing for diverse housing opportunities to meet the varying needs, lifestyles and budgets of our residents.

Showcasing Local Character

Focusing on the rich local culture, heritage and extensive open space network.

Supporting Business and Residents with Urban Services

Protecting industrial and urban services land to ensure capacity is maintained for a range of essential activities to co-exist with new development.

Enhancing the Public Domain

Providing desirable, accessible, safe and functional public areas that encourage walking, cycling and high levels of activity.

Creating Places for People

Prioritising people, providing essential services close to home to meet day-to-day needs and places for people to enjoy.

Encouraging Sustainability

Prioritising sustainable practices and enhancing the natural environment for the enjoyment of residents and workers.

Key Desired Outcomes

- Capacity for 12,500 jobs (8,800 additional) by 2041

Employment

- Capitalise on the planned Rouse Hill Hospital as a key catalyst for growth in health industries and knowledge-intensive jobs that align with the skills of local residents

- Designated commercial areas along Rouse Hill Drive, Commercial Road, Windsor Road and Tempus Street.

Retail

- Capacity for retail floor space to respond to market demand

- Extend the existing Rouse Hill Town Centre across Rouse Hill Drive to the north, with a new retail and restaurant precinct

Residential

- Capacity for 4,500 dwellings (2,750 additional) by 2041

- Diverse housing choice of varying sizes and typologies

- Transit oriented neighbourhoods with convenient access to the Metro Station, T-way, shops, jobs, cafes and recreation

- Maintain areas of existing low and medium density housing

Urban Services

- Retain and protect the light industrial and urban services area on Mile End Road and Resolution Place

- Enhance connectivity between urban services land and core of the Precinct

Artist’s Impression of Rouse Hill Streetscape (Source: Cox Architecture)

Artist’s Impression of Retail Development (Source: GPT)

Mixed Use

- Rouse Hill Town Centre will remain the mixed-use core of the Precinct, with the shopping centre continuing to service the region with diverse retail, leisure, recreation and dining opportunities

- The distinguishable local character and ‘street feel’ in the Rouse Hill Town Centre will be protected and enhanced

Connectivity and Sustainability

- Enhanced connectivity through a network of footpaths, forecourts, pedestrian bridges and boardwalks, as well as a new local roads and key intersection upgrades to improve vehicular connectivity

- Upgrade of Commercial Road to support the new hospital and other development

- Extension of Green Hills Drive through to Commercial Road to deliver a future public transport corridor to the north

Open Space and Community

- Active street level uses to provide attractive, vibrant and safe streets

- A new central open space and plaza area in the currently undeveloped Northern Frame area

- A range of public spaces that meet the needs of the growing community and local workforce, including public parks, playgrounds and enhanced public domain

Built Form

- Taller buildings (up to 20 storeys) located at the core of the Precinct near the Metro Station, seamlessly transitioning into lower density areas (approximately 2-3 storeys)

- Protect existing and future open space and public domain areas from significant overshadowing

- Protect the operation and potential for future expansion of the planned Rouse Hill Hospital

- Low density residential areas retained at the periphery of the Strategic Centre

Artist’s Impression of Mixed Use Development (Source: Cox Architecture)

Artist’s Impression of Rouse Hill Hospital (Source: Health Infrastructure NSW)

Identification of New Pedestrian Bridges and Links (Multiple Locations)

Identification of Potential New Urban Plazas and Open Spaces (Multiple Locations)

Build on the Success of the Rouse Hill Town Centre and

Dedicated Commercial Areas Refer

Artist’s Impression of Commercial Development (Source: Tome Visuals)

Figure 2. Key Changes

Artist’s Impression of Rouse Hill Town Centre (Source: Cox Architecture)

Rouse Hill Town Centre

Lachlan’s Line Bridge (Source: Architecture AU)

Identification of New Roads, Road Upgrades and Intersection Improvements (Multiple Locations) Refer

North West T-Way Looking North

Identification of Sites for Market Driven Uplift and Masterplanning Refer

Artist’s Impression of Mixed Use Outcomes (Source: Cox Architecture and GPT)

Review of the Public Domain and Infrastructure Funding Framework (Throughout Precinct)

Caddies Creek Reserve

8

Showcase the Rich Local Heritage and Natural Features as part of Future Redevelopment

Refer

Metro Station

Metro Line (Above Ground)

Rouse Hill Strategic Centre

Artist’s Impression of The Fiddler and Surrounds (Source: Tome Visuals)

Structure Plan

Figure 3. Structure Plan

Metro Station

Metro Line (Above Ground)

Rouse Hill Strategic Centre

Proposed Road

Low Density Residential

Medium Density Residential

High Density Residential

Local Centre

Mixed Use

High Density Commercial Offices

Urban Support Services

Open Space

Drainage Land

Special Use

Potential School

Signalised Intersection

Pedestrian Bridge

Left-in-left-out Intersection

Urban Plaza

Roundabout

Pedestrian Link

Public Transport Corridor (Including Vehicular Link)

Phasing

This Plan sets a holistic vision and ‘blueprint’ for the Rouse Hill Strategic Centre. It includes a list of actions that will be subject to future processes and decisions of Council. It will be necessary to work through these actions over time, to establish the planning framework that facilitates the vision and outcomes articulated in the Plan.

This Plan identifies areas where strategic work has been completed and where development is expected to either remain unchanged or continue to roll-out under the current planning framework. It then groups actions into three distinct phases, having regard to potential timing and responsibility for each action.

PHASING

Strategic Work Completed

Areas where strategic planning work has already been completed and where no further change to the planning controls is anticipated. The Rouse Hill Regional Centre Master Plan framework (as originally established in 2004 and reviewed and updated since this time) continues to guide appropriate outcomes for much of the Centre. Development is expected to either remain unchanged or continue to roll-out under the current planning framework (including development applications and/or construction).

Phase 1: Housekeeping Amendments

Areas where Council-Led housekeeping amendments are recommended to facilitate improved and/or orderly development outcomes. It is noted that no housekeeping amendments are identified currently within the draft Precinct Plan, however this phase has been retained for the purposes of engagement, as landowners or stakeholders may have a view with respect to the need for such changes.

Phase 2: Council-Led Change

Short to medium term actions that could be led by Council. For example, the preparation of a holistic public domain plan and/or Development Control Plans to guide future development throughout the Centre to allow for the achievement of the vision and outcomes in this Plan.

Phase 3: Market Driven Change

Actions that will be market driven. These generally relate to large consolidated sites in single ownership. It is considered that the market is best placed to determine the appropriate timing for amendments to the planning controls in these instances (having regard to development demand, life cycle of existing assets and feasibility) and put forward development outcomes and infrastructure solutions consistent with the strategic framework and Council’s vision articulated within the Plan. Whilst some market driven solutions may be achievable in the short to medium term, feasible redevelopment in other market driven areas is unlikely to occur until beyond the short to medium term horizon.

Changes to the planning framework would be driven by landowner-initiated planning proposals, along with associated amendments to the Development Control Plan, Public Domain Plan and appropriate infrastructure contribution mechanisms.

In terms of timing, it is expected that planning proposals for short to medium term sites would eventuate over the next 5 to 10 years (some landowners have expressed their intention to lodge planning proposals shortly following precinct planning). Market driven solutions and planning proposals for longer term sites are unlikely to eventuate within this same period and are expected to occur beyond a 10-year horizon (1020 years), as these sites are either substantially more complex, require amalgamation of fragmented areas or are unlikely to be feasible (at an appropriate density and scale outcome) within this initial 10-year horizon.

Phasing Map

Metro Station

Metro Line (Above Ground)

Rouse Hill Strategic Centre

Strategic Work Completed

Phase 1 - Housekeeping Amendments

Phase 2 - Council-Led Change

Phase 3 - Market Driven Change

*Note: While there are some additional actions identified within Phase 1 and 2, they are holistic to the centre, not specific to individual sites an therefore not shown on the map above (refer to actions identified in Sections 4 and 6 of the Precinct Plan).

Figure 4. Phasing Approach*

Approach to Date and Next Steps

2013

2015

North West Rail Link Corridor Strategy Released Hills Corridor Strategy Released

2020

Precinct Planning Work Underway

2021

Hills Future 2036 Local Strategic Planning Statement Made Investigations and Technical Studies

Complete Draft Plan (Rouse Hill)

Report to Council (Pre-Consultation) Consultation Preparation

Public & Authority Consultation

Post-Exhibition

Consideration by Council

2022

2023

We are here

Consultation and Engagement

The Draft Precinct Plan for Rouse Hill Strategic Centre is currently on exhibition until Monday 31 July 2023. Draft Precinct Plans for the Norwest and Castle Hill Strategic Centres and a Draft Economic Growth Plan are also being exhibited concurrently. You are invited to have your say on the Plans throughout this period. Council has planned an extensive consultation schedule including, but not limited to, drop-in sessions, independently facilitated workshops and a dedicated hotline. Council’s Town Planners will also be available at Council’s Administration Centre to discuss these plans throughout the entire exhibition period between 8.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Plan

Rouse Hill Precinct Plan

Norwest Precinct Plan

Drop-In Session

Tuesday 23 May 2023 (9.30am – 1pm)

Tuesday 13 June 2023 (12pm – 4pm)

Thursday 15 June 2023 (5pm - 8pm)

Location: Vinegar Hill Memorial Library

Facilitated Workshop*

Thursday 6 July 2023 (7pm – 9pm)

Location: Rex Money Room - Vinegar Hill Memorial Community Centre

Castle Hill Precinct Plan

Tuesday 23 May 2023 (9.30am – 1pm)

Thursday 25 May 2023 (5pm – 8pm)

Friday 16 June 2023 (12pm – 4pm)

Location: Council Administration Centre

Thursday 1 June 2023 (5pm – 7.30pm)

Tuesday 13 June 2023 (12pm – 4pm)

Thursday 29 June 2023 (9.30am-1pm)

Location: Castle Hill Library

Economic Growth Plan

Tuesday 23 May 2023 (9.30am – 1pm)

Location: Vinegar Hill Memorial Library

Thursday 25 May 2023 (5pm – 8pm)

Location: Council Administration Centre

Tuesday 13 June 2023 (12pm – 4pm)

Location: Castle Hill Library

Thursday 1 June 2023 (7pm – 9pm)

Location: Council Administration Centre

View

Thursday 15 June 2023 (7pm – 9pm)

Location: Rebellion Room - Pioneer Theatre, Castle Hill

Thursday 29 June 2023 (7pm – 9pm)

Location: Council Administration Centre

Exhibition Material and Have

Forward Planning Hotline 9843 0597

*Note: Please RSVP to the Workshops on Council’s Website on the ‘Have Your Say’ page or by contacting the Forward Planning Team on 9843 0597.