Vision, Strategies & Plans

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Penrith City Council (02) 4732 7777 (02) 4732 7958 council@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au 601 High St Penrith NSW 2750 Australia
Vision, Strategies & Plans

Penrith Local Strategic Planning Statement

Penrith City Council’s Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS) Planning for a Brighter Future, sets out the 20-year vision for land use in Penrith Local Government Area (LGA). The LSPS recognises the special characteristics which contribute to Penrith’s local identity and how growth and change will be managed in the future.

Council received a Letter of Support from the Greater Sydney Commission (GSC) Assurance Panel on 16 March 2020 and the LSPS was formally adopted by Council on 23 March 2020.

As a great place to live, work and play, our City has an important role in Sydney’s future as the Penrith LGA continues to evolve. The LSPS has been developed as a result of extensive consultation with and input from the wider community, government agencies and key local stakeholders including industry and local businesses, resident action groups and environmental groups to help shape future plans.

Our Local Strategic Planning Statement:

  • Provides a land use vision for Penrith LGA over the next 20 years taking into consideration the economic, social and environmental needs of our community.
  • Aligns with and responds to the key priorities and directions set in the Greater Sydney Commission’s (GSC) Greater Sydney Region Plan – A Metropolis of Three Cities and Western City District Plan.
  • Includes 21 planning priorities and 10 themes which reflect the shared community values to be maintained and enhanced.
  • Aligns with Council’s Community Plan.

The Penrith LSPS can be viewed here.

For further information, including fact sheets and additional information about the consultation process and supporting documents, you can view Council’s Your Say page.

Places of Penrith Strategic Framework

The landscape is changing in our region due to the significant amount of State Government investment in infrastructure such as the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport. With this growth comes an opportunity to further develop the strategic vision for Penrith and to create and renew great places across our city. 

Penrith City Council is currently developing Places of Penrith, which delivers a suite of city-shaping strategies in line with the Planning Priorities outlined in the Penrith LSPS and the Western City District Plan. Places of Penrith is a strategic framework that will establish the vision and direction for our city, provide direction on areas of change, and create better places for our community to connect, play, learn, work and live. This framework recognises and responds to the challenges and opportunities facing Penrith, and the need to balance growth with protecting the environment and preserving our cultural heritage.   

In the coming years, strategies will continue to be developed and evolve, effectively rebuilding the strategic planning framework for Penrith. 

These city-shaping strategies will reflect the community’s aspirations outlined in the LSPS, as well as in recent engagement activities for the Community Plan and Resilient Penrith Action Plan. The current strategies that we are working on that underpin Places of Penrith are: 

  • The Employment Lands Strategy (adopted)
  • The Green Grid Strategy (adopted)
  • The Local Housing Strategy (adopted)
  • The Rural Lands Strategy (draft publicly exhibited)
  • The Corridors and Centres Strategy (in development)

Penrith Economic Development Strategy 2023 - 2031

The Penrith Economic Development Strategy is designed to build on Penrith’s strengths through a comprehensive plan of action to support economic growth and sustainable development. The strategy will focus on creating a favourable business environment, diversifying the economy, attracting investment and talent, and investing in infrastructure and services. A key objective is to create more jobs closer to home for our residents.

Success will be measured through a focus on key industry clusters:
• Transport, Freight and Logistics
• Manufacturing including Agribusiness, Waste Management and Renewable Energy
• Airport, Defence and Aerotropolis
• Health and Social Care, Education and Research
• Tourism, Hospitality and Events including Sports and Recreation
• Creative and Cultural

Download the Penrith Economic Development Strategy 2023-2031

Penrith Visitor Economy Strategy 2023 – 2030

The purpose of Penrith’s Visitor Economy Strategy (VES) is to nurture a thriving visitor economy, capitalising on our natural strengths and leveraging major infrastructure projects taking place in Penrith and our region. This VES is written as a guide to focus all stakeholders on the opportunities in Penrith and as a framework to deliver on this plan.

Success will be measured by the following key industry indicators (from 2021/2022 baseline):
• Increase in visitation.
• Increase in overnight stays.
• Increase in visitor spending.
• An increase in the Visitor Economy contribution to Penrith’s Gross Regional Product (GRP)
• Increase in attractions and bookable accommodation stock.
• Increase in tourism, hospitality and events, sports and recreation jobs.

Download the Penrith Visitor Economy Strategy 2023-2030

Employment Lands Strategy

Penrith City Council’s Employment Lands Strategy outlines a plan to grow the local economy and ensure land supply in the right places to attract investment, allow local businesses to expand and create better places to work with a greater variety of jobs closer to home. 

After being exhibited for public feedback on our Your Say Penrith site between June and August 2021, it was formally adopted on 25 October, 2021. View the Penrith Employment Lands Strategy here: Penrith Employment Lands Strategy

Since the release of the Penrith Employment Lands Strategy there have been reforms to zoning of employment lands and a new industrial precinct released for development: the Mamre Road precinct. These changes and the latest information available about the stock of Penrith’s employment lands are described here: Penrith Industrial Precincts Technical Report 2023 Update. 
20231106 Penrith Industrial Precincts Technical Report Update Nov 2023 - Final for Web.pdf

More detailed information about each of Penrith’s six primary industrial precincts can be found in these fact sheets: 

The Employment Lands Strategy draws on analysis from three supporting studies:

Penrith Green Grid Strategy

Penrith City Council’s Penrith Green Grid Strategy outlines a plan to support the creation of cool and green neighbourhoods across Penrith and encourage active transport by connecting schools, public transport and town centres with green infrastructure such as green spaces, parks, waterways and bushland.

After being exhibited for public feedback on our Your Say Penrith site between June and August 2021, it was formally adopted on 25 October 2021. View the Penrith Green Grid Strategy here: Penrith Green Grid Strategy

Local Housing Strategy

Penrith City Council’s Local Housing Strategy has been established to guide housing change and manage population growth in Penrith City over a period of 20 years, from 2016 to 2036. A key component of the Strategy is its establishment of a Housing Vision and associated set of objectives. The Strategy considers four broad themes, namely, housing location; housing diversity; housing affordability; and housing design, character and resilience.

After being exhibited for public feedback on our Your Say Penrith site between April and May 2022, the Strategy was formally adopted on 22 August 2022.

View the Local Housing Strategy.

Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan

Penrith City Council's Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan was developed to address the significant pressure Penrith residents are facing due to recent surges in housing and daily living costs. The report outlines a broad framework and identifies direct actions and advocacy positions that Council will take towards improving housing affordability over 2023 to 2026. After being exhibited for public feedback on our Your Say Penrith site between September and October of 2023, the strategy was endorsed on 20 November 2023.

View the Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan 

Rural Lands Strategy

Penrith City Council’s Rural Lands Strategy provides a strategic approach to managing the social, economic and environmental values of Penrith City’s rural lands over a 20-year period. The Rural Lands Strategy is supported by three technical studies:
  • Penrith Rural Lands and Villages Study 2019
  • Penrith Scenic and Cultural Landscapes Study 2019
  • Penrith Rural Economy and Agribusiness Opportunities Study Part 1

After being exhibited for public feedback on our Your Say Penrith site between April and May 2022, the Rural Lands Strategy was formally adopted by Council on 26 September 2022.

View the Rural Lands Strategy and supporting documents here

Corridors and Centres Strategy

The Corridors and Centres Strategy (CCS) is in development. The CCS will establish a place-based vision, strategic directions and plans for the Economic Triangle – the North-South, East-West and Scenic Corridors – as well as our centres and rural villages. The CCS will be informed by the East-West Corridor Interim Centres Strategy, relevant strategies endorsed by Council, recently prepared technical studies and community engagement.

We Create Penrith: Cultural Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2028

We Create Penrith is Penrith City Council’s approach to advancing cultural outcomes for people and places in our local government area. It builds on Penrith’s great cultural strengths and focuses resources to champion our stories.

In developing this Strategy, we have listened to our community, researched current data and trends and developed a four-year Action Plan that articulates the creative cultural aspirations of our people and the changing nature of our city.

We Create Penrith facilitates opportunities for all Penrith residents to come together in ways that are creative, respectful and inclusive, giving us the means to express and celebrate our shared culture. It was endorsed by Council on 29 April 2024.

Download We Create Penrith: Cultural Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2028

St Marys 2041: Planning Pathway

Council is leading an exciting planning pathway to manage growth and change in St Marys Town Centre over the next 20 years through a place-based, design-led process. This pathway has three stages: 
 
Stage 1: St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan
The St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan has set a place vision, place outcomes and strategic and spatial directions to guide the growth of St Marys as a vibrant, welcoming, sustainable and authentic strategic centre that meets the changing needs of our community. Community input was sought on two occasions as part of developing the plan, in February – April 2022 and August – September 2022. Council formally adopted the Structure Plan on 28 November 2022. 
 
Stage 2: St Marys Town Centre Master Plan
The St Marys Town Centre Master Plan sets out a long-term plan to guide future growth and development of the St Marys Town Centre over the next 20 years and beyond. It builds on the directions and vision identified in the St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan. The Master Plan was endorsed by Penrith City Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 3 March 2025. 
 
Stage 3: Planning Implementation Plan 
To support the implementation of the St Marys Town Centre Master Plan, Council has prepared a draft Development Control Plan and draft Development Contributions Plan for St Marys.

These draft plans were put on public exhibition from Thursday 6 March until 11.59pm on Wednesday 2 April 2025. You can find out more at Your Say Penrith.

Further information on the Planning Pathway can be found here 

St Marys Town Centre Place Plan

The St Marys Town Centre Place Plan is a community-led roadmap outlining actions over the next five years to transform the Town Centre through events, activities, public space improvements, and other projects.

The Place Plan is informed by the vision and outcomes outlined in the St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan and was developed in close consultation with the community. 

Further information can be found here.

PATHS Implementation Plan 2022-2032

Penrith City Council drafted the Penrith Accessible Trails Hierarchy Study (PATHS) Implementation Plan 2022-2032 to help deliver and improve bicycle and shared pedestrian paths for a liveable, active and accessible Penrith LGA.

After being exhibited for public feedback on our Your Say Penrith site during October 2022, it was formally adopted on 12 December 2022. View the PATHS (Penrith Accessible Trails Hierarchy Study) Implementation Plan 2022-2032 here.

Previous Studies and Plans

Previous Strategies