Vision, Strategies & Plans

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Details: Written by Adam Gatt; Published: 22 November 2018; Last Updated: 23 August 2022

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)

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

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.

Rural Lands Strategy

A revised draft of the Rural Lands Strategy (RLS) was placed on public exhibition from 5 April to 17 May 2022.

Council prepared an initial draft Rural Lands and Villages Strategy, which was exhibited in late 2019. The initial draft Rural Lands and Villages Strategy was supported by two technical supporting documents, a draft Scenic and Cultural Landscapes Study, and a draft Rural Lands and Villages Study. The revised draft of the RLS continues to draw on the findings of these technical supporting documents and guides development of our rural lands and villages. Preserving rural character and supporting a diverse rural economy are central themes of the strategy.

View the Draft 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.

St Marys 2041: St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan

The draft St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan is in development and due for public exhibition in the latter half of 2022. Early community engagement on the Structure Plan was carried out from 21 February to 3 April 2022 to inform the development of a vision and desired future character for the Town Centre.

The Structure Plan aims to manage growth and change in St Marys as it develops over the next twenty years. It will provide an environmental, social and economic understanding of the existing conditions of the Town Centre, and develop a vision statement, local character statement and strategic and spatial planning directions.

View the early engagement material here