Why is Business Booming in the Hills?
There are two schools of thought about growth in the Hills.
The first is negative; there are people who’ve lived and worked in the Hills for 20-30 years and chose to do so because it was the leafy and green “The Garden Shire”. It was also a great place to escape the built-up suburbs of Inner West, which had big blocks and well-planned developments in the 1990s.
However, those same people also complained about our lack of transport and the 2-hour commute to city to work – pre-metro and pre-M2 and M7. They’re now expressing their disappointment in the progress that’s been made and types of developments they’ve seen pop up in the once garden-style sections of the shire like North Kellyville and Box Hill.
Their kids are now in their 20s – and some of these long-term residents are choosing to leave the region to opt for a Tree Change or Sea Change, while continuing to run their businesses in the Hills.
As a Chamber, we’re seeing a significant increase in long-time business owners and their families moving out of the Hills Shire. They believe the community they chose to live, work, and play in – once full of well-planned residential developments threaded between green parklands and bushland – has disappeared and been replaced with the mass development of precincts like “North Kellyville, Box Hill, and the Hills of Carmel”.
But on the flip side; the Hills is attracting huge numbers of new residents (over 100,000 expected in the next few years) and new businesses because people see the region as a great place to live and do business. The expanding suburban sprawl and amenities that support their families and employees are exactly what they’re looking for. Many of those long-term residents are downsizing but staying local to the Hills and shopping local.
As part of our recent Chairman’s Lunch and follow up process, we asked The Hills Shire Mayor, Dr Peter Gangemi, for his thoughts about these 2 perspectives and why The Hills is booming.
Q. How do we stop the exodus of these longer-term resident and business owners, who are not averse to development in their region – but just unhappy with what they perceive as the decimation of the uniqueness that is the Hills Shire? They believe decisions are being made by NSW Government teams who don’t know this region – or have to live here after the plans are implemented.
Peter Gangemi – “While I respect the question, I fundamentally don’t agree that there is an exodus from The Hills. We saw in the recent census that The Hills Shire has approximately 200,000 residents. As per our Local Strategic Planning Statement, we are predicted to have around 290,000 residents by 2036.
The Hills is a very desirable place for families to live, so it is no wonder we are growing. Our citizenship ceremonies are packed, and we have been identified as the only Metropolitan Council meeting its housing targets, with more than 10,600 dwellings completed in the five years to 2021.
If you look at all of our key planning documents – the Local Strategic Planning Statement, Hills Corridor Strategy, the Local Environmental Plan and Precinct Plans – maintaining the character of The Hills as a family friendly area is key part of what we are trying to do.
We have so much going for us as a shire. I believe The Hills is the best place in the world to live.
We have scenic natural wonders like the Hawkesbury River, great bushland, beautiful gardens, wide open spaces, and fantastic schools. We are a family first shire, and we have some great facilities recently completed or coming on board such as:
- The new Waves Fitness and Aquatic Centre
- Parramatta Eels Centre of Excellence
- University of Canberra, which will be opening a campus in Castle Hill
- Balmoral Road Reserve, and other sports fields such as Samantha Riley Drive Reserve and Brindle Parkway Reserve
- An increasing entertainment scene from places such as the Castle Hill Showground, Bella Vista Farm, Pioneer Theatre and Arthur Whitling Park.”
Q. How can people be more involved in the process of planning for this region?
Dr Peter Gangemi – “If people are unhappy with outcomes from State Government departments – such as the Department of Planning and Environment approving the planning proposal for the Mirvac site at Coonara Ave after Council rejected it – they can approach our State MPs. Additionally, when documents such as the Cherrybrook Place Strategy or review of the Region or City Plans are on exhibition, residents can provide input.
We would like to see local planning decisions return to local government so we can represent you – the people who elected us.
People can also provide feedback to us so we can also take up issues with the State when they arise.”
Q. How are our Urban planners and the NSW government working together to recognise the need and desires our community, as well as environmental sustainability, in a whole-of-system approach to planning?
Dr Peter Gangemi – “The needs and desires of the community are captured by both Council and the Government regularly consulting with the public.
As a Council, whenever we have a major plan being undertaken, community input is vital. When we were preparing our Local Strategic Planning Statement and reviewing our Local Environmental Plan, the draft documents were put on public exhibition and community input was taken into account when putting together the final document.
The state government is reviewing the Greater Sydney Region Plan – the Metropolis of Six Cities, and also the district strategies, for us this will be called the Central River City Plan. Community consultation will be a key part of these reviews as well. The Greater Cities Commission is currently seeking feedback on a discussion paper that aims to stimulate the conversation about the best ways to plan for the region.
As a Council, we also consult with the public each year through an annual survey, and can track trends year on year.
There are many opportunities for everyone to have their say. So I would say to our local residents –please get involved.
We work together with the State Government on many planning initiatives including the following:
- The Hawkesbury Nepean Flood Study and the Hawkesbury Catchment Management Plan.
- Creating a health precinct around Rouse Hill Hospital. Council officers are currently preparing a Precinct Plan for the Rouse Hill Strategic Centre.
- We are continuing to work with the NSW Government to bring forward planning for key transport links, such as the planning and delivery of the Norwest to Parramatta mass transit link via Baulkham Hills and extension of the Sydney Metro Northwest from Tallawong to St Marys.
- Innovative solutions for sports fields, such as shared sporting facilities at Bella Vista Public School.
Residents of The Hills are also becoming more environmentally conscious. In a Shire-wide survey recently conducted by Council on the future of waste collection and disposal services, Hills residents ranked environmental benefit, convenience, and affordability as the most important factors when it came to their bin service.
The Hills Shire Council has always been proactive in leading environmental practices and making sure that buildings are well-designed and planned in a way that makes them environmentally sustainable as well – using less energy and more thermally efficient for example.
We are also trying to increase our networks of cycleways and walkways – particularly around town centres and employment areas so less people need to drive to work.
Apart from design standards throughout the shire, Council is ensuring our own buildings are environmentally friendly. Our brand-new Waves Fitness and Aquatic Centre, is a great example of this. It has been fitted out with the latest energy savings technology and devices, including:
- Solar panels
- LED lighting
- A water tank; and
- Energy efficient pumps and heat blankets.
There are also two electric car charging stations and another planned to be built in our Administration Building carpark in Norwest. This is thanks to the funding that we have received under the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
We also have more solar panel systems on the roof of Council-owned childcare centres, libraries, and other community buildings.
Council is also continuing its upgrade of streetlights to LED. In the last financial year, approximately 5,756 streetlights were upgraded to LED – that’s more than 50 per cent of The Hills Shire’s street light network upgraded to more energy efficient lighting.”
Q. How will place-based outcomes, that build greater resilience, regenerate our urban areas, and support liveability for those who live and want to live here, be achieved as part of the push to grow in the Central City Plan in the Hills region?
Dr Peter Gangemi – “The State Government is reviewing the Greater Sydney Region Plan – the new Six Cities Region Plan that will build on the Metropolis of Three Cities. They are also reviewing the district strategies, which, for us, is the Central River City Plan. Council will be a key party that gets to provide input into these documents.
Council then will review its overall Local Strategic Planning Statement and Local Environmental Plan, which take inputs from the Six Cities Region and the City Plan.
In terms of place-based outcomes, Council is conducting precinct planning to support liveability in our strategic centres – Castle Hill, Norwest, and Rouse Hill.
All these documents enable urban renewal of the areas around the stations to take advantage of the Metro Northwest, while allowing retention of the family friendly character of The Hills in the areas away from the stations.
The precinct plans look at many factors – topography, existing uses, mix of employment and residential, the road network, pedestrian network, and green spaces for example.
We expect our centres will continue to evolve around our new stations to incorporate more of that “café lifestyle” – including more eateries, boutique shops, more restaurants, and bars. The Pioneer Theatre will continue to grow as an entertainment provider.
Our plans also look at the individual advantages of each area:
- Norwest is our key employment centre, but is located close to Bella Vista Farm which provides great amenity and entertainment opportunities.
- The Rouse Hill Hospital is located next to Rouse Hill station, so it has the opportunity to be a world class health precinct.
- Castle Hill has a wonderful existing shopping centre – and our key theatre in Pioneer Theatre and recreation space in Arthur Whitling Park that will help activate the town centre.
We have upcoming shows at Pioneer Theatre and festivals in Arthur Whitling Park – and these are great examples of how we are creating a fun environment for our community, while helping to boost local businesses.
In summary – it’s an exciting time to be a part of The Hills Shire, and we look forward to that being the case well into the future.”
Yes, the Hills is booming. It’s growing in residents and business opportunities.
The Hills Shire is an Entrepreneurial region. Our population is expected to grow by 100,000 people to over 320,000 residents by 2041.
We have almost 23,000 businesses in the region now and an average of over 3000 new businesses per annum opening their doors here each year.
Our role as your Chamber of Commerce is to champion the needs of ALL Businesses in this community.
- Hills Businesses make up over 1.5% of all businesses in Australia
- We employ 9.24 % of the people working in Greater Western Sydney
- And employ 1.9% of the people working in NSW
The Chamber will continue to work closely with The Hills Shire Council to enable the Hills to be place where there are opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive, and for our employees and business owners to enjoy living in.
If this is an area of interest for you, you can more involved in our programs by contacting [email protected]
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