The St Marys planning pathway comprises a place-based, design-led process, which is progressing in three stages. Stage 1 is the development of a Structure Plan, followed by a Master Plan (Stage 2), that will inform potential amendments to local planning controls (Stage 3). Together, the St Marys planning pathway represents a thorough and considered process that will provide certainty to landowners and investors going forward and will inform Council’s capital works program. Please refer to the St Marys Town Centre Planning Pathway Factsheet on this page for more information.

St Marys is witnessing significant transformation in the form of the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport metro line connecting St Marys to the Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport. With such transformation underway, Council acknowledged the need to guide planning and development in St Marys Town Centre to realise the needs and aspirations of current and future residents, businesses, and visitors.

Council prepared the St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan as the first stage of the planning pathway, to guide the growth and development of St Marys Town Centre over the next 20 years. It has been developed with input from the St Marys’ community and stakeholders and has involved extensive place-based research, collaboration and evidence-based planning and design. The second stage of the St Marys planning pathway – the St Marys Town Centre Master Plan, will test and refine the Structure Plan directions and inform potential planning control amendments.

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.

Structure Plans are land use plans to guide the development of an area over time. They are an important step to help plan for future population growth, housing, employment, transport and other land uses like parks, recreational and community facilities, walkways and cycleways, etc. Generally, Structure Plans:

• include a comprehensive analysis of context
• look beyond the individual project and seek to coordinate across projects and opportunities, setting a project in its broader context
• incorporate and respond to information from existing strategies and studies, such as transport, heritage, and neighbourhood character studies
• respond to all major stakeholders by addressing their interests and concerns
• incorporate major infrastructure issues and provide design direction for the details within infrastructure construction projects
• set out an implementation plan/action for further work with long-term actions,medium-term actions, and short-term actions
• present analysis, principles, and options for implementation in graphical and written format to a standard suitable for public consultation
• illustrate existing constraints and available opportunities, identify different options, and provide a record of why particular options are selected, referring to key policy objectives, urban design principles, etc.

The St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan has been prepared in two parts:

• Understanding St Marys – provides a thorough analysis of St Marys’ existing conditions and establishes a set of issues and opportunities informed by place research, technical studies and engagement
• Shaping the Future of St Marys – responds to the analysis, proposes a place vision for the Town Centre and defines a set of 10 place outcomes and 26 directions to guide towards achieving the vision

Collectively these two components provide the foundation for decision making and sound policy development and comprise the first stage of a place-based, design-led process to guide growth and change in St Marys Town Centre over the next 20 years.

Council has developed the following shared place vision for St Marys Town Centre which directs its transformation over the next twenty years into a vibrant, welcoming and sustainable place that retains its celebrated authenticity:

St Marys: A thriving destination in the Western Parkland City

In 20 years, St Marys will have transformed from a suburban centre offering local convenience to a vibrant strategic centre with a welcoming, sustainable and authentic urban experience.

With living, commercial, service, industrial, cultural and recreational areas served by an integrated regional transport hub, St Marys will be a place where one would find everything one needs - a mixed-use centre in its true sense.

Celebrating its abundant natural assets and rich history, St Marys will be known for its place beside South Creek with green landscapes and views of the Mountains.

With a network of people-places connected by a walkable and safe public realm, and a contemporary and high-quality built environment, St Marys will attract people from all walks of life as well as businesses looking to operate in an inclusive and diverse community.

The St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan has proposed 10 place outcomes and 26 strategic and spatial directions for St Marys Town Centre as follows:

• Place Outcome 1: Have four magnetic hubs linked by key activity spines
  • Direction 1: Create a Civic Heart
  • Direction 2: Integrate the Sport & Recreational Hub with the Town Centre Core
  • Direction 3: Complement the Transport Hub with a commercial core and anchor it to Queen Street
  • Direction 4: Further investigate St Marys Corner
• Place Outcome 2: Have a human-centred street network balancing the efficient movement of people and goods
  • Direction 5: Better balance the movement of vehicles, buses, pedestrians and cyclists
  • Direction 6: Designate place-sensitive local bus routes and improve overall bus network efficiency, capacity and frequency
  • Direction 7: Advocate the delivery of the Werrington Arterial Stage 2
• Place Outcome 3: Be a centre for employment growth
  • Direction 8: Provide up to 9,100 jobs in St Marys Town Centre by 2041
  • Direction 9: Attract new businesses and diversify the day and night economy
  • Direction 10: Preserve and enhance the role of the Dunheved Business Park Precinct
• Place Outcome 4: Offer inclusive and diverse housing for all
  • Direction 11: Provide housing diversity
  • Direction 12: Provide a mix of affordable and social housing to meet the needs of the future St Marys’ community
  • Direction 13: Provide up to 7,200 dwellings in the St Marys Town Centre by 2041
• Place Outcome 5: Be a cool and green centre with nature at its heart
  • Direction 14: Create a network of easily accessible open spaces where residents and workers are within 200m – 400m of a green open space
  • Direction 15: Deliver public open spaces with a diversity of activities and a range of sizes and functions to cater to people of all abilities and ages
  • Direction 16: Ensure that the quantum of green open spaces is sufficient, well-located and well-sized to cater to the anticipated 20-year growth projection
  • Direction 17: Achieve 25% of tree canopy cover by 2041 and improve biodiversity
• Place Outcome 6: Grow sustainably supported by infrastructure investment
  • Direction 18: Cost and fund infrastructure delivery to align with the anticipated ultimate and staged growth projection
  • Direction 19: Deliver stormwater infrastructure and improve water quality
  • Direction 20: Advocate the delivery of key utility infrastructure and school upgrades
• Place Outcome 7: Be a place that fosters civic pride and celebrates its history, culture and diversity
  • Direction 21: Provide communal places and services that strengthen social capital
  • Direction 22: Embed Country-centred design principles in design and planning processes
  • Direction 23: Identify and protect items and values of shared heritage significance
• Place Outcome 8: Be a low-carbon centre
  • Direction 24: Reduce local emissions for a more sustainable future of St Marys
• Place Outcome 9: Have quality design in the public and private realms
  • Direction 25: Create attractive, liveable, healthy and sustainable public and private places through quality design and Country-centred design
• Place Outcome 10: Evolve through partnerships and collaboration
  • Direction 26: Acknowledge the complexities of city-making and develop partnerships to achieve the best outcome for our community

The elected Council formally adopted the St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan on 28 November 2022.

Work has now commenced on developing the Master Plan for St Marys Town Centre. Supported by additional technical studies, the detailed Master Plan will refine the directions and framework plan of the Structure Plan, including more detailed investigation of infrastructure needs, costing, development stages, implementation mechanisms and a funding strategy. The Master Plan will inform Council’s capital works program and potential amendments to planning controls. The Structure Plan directions will be validated, costed and staged through the Master Plan process.

The St Marys Town Centre Structure Plan and Master Plan will inform potential amendments to the Penrith Local Environmental Plan, Development Control Plan and Contributions Plan, if warranted. These will be developed and considered in detail in 2023 and 2024.