St Marys Town Centre Master Plan

• ​What is the strategic planning pathway for St Marys Town Centre?

• The St Marys planning pathway – known as St Marys 2041 - comprises a place-based process to guide planning and development in the St Marys Town Centre over the next 20 years. The planning pathway has three stages:

  • Stage 1 was the development of a Structure Plan, which sets a vision, 10 place outcomes and 26 directions for the St Marys Town Centre. This Plan was adopted in November 2022. This stage also involved the preparation of a Place Plan to support the community through the change that is coming and bring St Marys to life in the short term.
  • Stage 2 involved preparation of a Master Plan. This Plan further refines the directions outlined in the Structure Plan and contains the design detail for specific streets and precincts in St Marys.
  • Stage 3 involves implementing the Master Plan through amendments to local planning controls.

  Together, the St Marys planning pathway will provide certainty to landowners and investors going forward, and help inform Council’s infrastructure delivery in St Marys.

  For more information refer to the St Marys Town Centre Planning Pathway Factsheet on this web page.

• Why is Council developing a planning pathway for St Marys Town Centre?

• St Marys is witnessing significant transformation and becoming an important centre in Western Sydney. The new Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line will connect St Marys to the world and bring more people, jobs and services to the area.

  Council is preparing for this growth and change through careful planning to help guide development of the St Marys Town Centre over the next 20 years to realise the needs and aspirations of current and future residents, businesses, and visitors.

  The St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan and Master Plan form part of Council’s Places of Penrith Strategic Framework comprising a suite of City-wide strategies that will collectively establish a vision and directions for our Local Government Area.

• What is a Master Plan?

• A Master Plan is a long-term plan that provides a road map to guide future growth and change in one of our centres over the coming decades.

  Master Plans have an important role in determining the look, feel and function of the urban environment. A Master Plan helps manage growth to ensure orderly development, while preserving local character and the unique qualities of an area, and encouraging economic development and infrastructure improvements.

  The St Marys Town Centre Master Plan will guide building heights, design, density, sustainability, movement, land use zoning, open spaces and infrastructure.

• How does the Master Plan relate to the NSW Government’s announcement of a potential Transport Oriented Development (TOD) site at St Marys?

• In 2024 the NSW Government implemented its Transport Oriented Development (TOD) Program to facilitate more affordable, well-designed and well-located homes within 400 metres of specific stations. St Marys has been earmarked as one of these stations. In recognition of the Structure Plan and Master Plan work that Council has already undertaken for St Marys, the NSW Government granted Council an extension to the application of the TOD reforms until April 2025.

  Council has pursued the St Marys Town Centre Master Plan process because it believes that a more place-based and nuanced planning and urban design outcome can be achieved by this strategic approach – particularly taking account of the significant amount of community engagement and technical input that has taken place in the preparation of the Master Plan.

  The Master Plan may negate the implementation of the TOD reforms, or at least recommend the manner in which the TOD reforms amend planning controls in St Marys. In either case, Council is committed to delivering on our community’s vision for the St Marys Town Centre.

• How will the Master Plan be implemented and what changes are proposed to planning controls?

• The Master Plan sets out specific tasks and actions required for implementation. The major immediate task involves amending the planning controls and mechanisms that currently apply to St Marys, in particular the Local Environmental Plan (LEP), Development Control Plan (DCP) and Development Contributions Plan.

  Some of the proposed changes that can be expected are as follows:

  • Local Environmental Plan (LEP) – changes to zoning in select locations, increases to permissible building heights and floor space ratios across much of the Town Centre, and mandating a minimum amount of non-residential floor space in areas of the Commercial Core where it is important to boost economic activity.
  • Development Control Plan (DCP) – changes to building setbacks from the street, podium heights and solar amenity controls. The DCP controls would also identify important components around establishing the desired future character of the Town Centre, such as through-site links, active transport connections, dwelling mix, building envelopes and tree planting.
  • Development Contributions Plan – adopting a new Contributions Plan so that future development within the Town Centre contributes to the cost of new and upgraded local infrastructure.