It’s official. Bradfield City Centre will proceed as planned after the NSW State Government finally approved the city’s masterplan, Australia’s first major city in over a century, a decision that will see 10,000 new houses constructed on the site over the next 30 years.
Wood Central understands that the 114-hectare “smart city is about “five times the size of Barangaroo,” with the plans focused on sustainable urban design – a decision that will see 40% of the city shaded with tree canopies and 80% of roofs covered in “green coverage or bio-solar systems to address urban heat,” the government said.
It will be staggered over 30 years, eventually forming a pedestrian and cycle-friendly city centred around a 2-hectare Central Park: “While this city will not pop up overnight, the now approved master plan is set to drive major growth over the years and for generations to come,” according to Paul Scully, NSW’s Planning and Public Spaces Minister.
It is “Australia’s first new city in more than 100 years,” Minister Scully said.
“At least 10% of the Bradfield City Centre housing will be affordable,” the government said, with the first 4.8 hectares of land released to the public sector – with 1000 new dwellings to be constructed alongside commercial, education, research, accommodation and hospitality services.
Bradfield City Centre will also become the metropolitan centre of the ‘Aerotropolis’—Sydney’s long-awaited second airport, the 24/7 International Nancy Bird Walton Airport, slated to open in 2026.
Bradfield’s two timber-based manufacturing research facilities are rising fast!
Construction of the city’s first building, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF) – made from timber and concrete, is already underway and is expected to be finished this year.
In June, Wood Central reported that a second three-storey building, dubbed “Building Two,” also constructed from timber (cross-laminated timber) and concrete – and will focus on microelectronics and semiconductor packaging.
The new build will coincide with the opening of the new airport and feature a mass timber visitor centre—which together are part of Western Sydney’s master plan to create a new ecosystem for advanced manufacturing in Australia’s newest city.
According to the NSW government, the city “will be known as an advanced hub of innovation” for various industries, including defence and aerospace, construction and manufacturing, future transport, and new energy and circular economy industries:
“Imagine industries of the future like advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI, and quantum, with Bradfield acting as a magnet for innovation and investment across NSW and Australia,” Bradfield Development Authority chair Jennifer Westacott said.
- To learn more about the Bradfield City Centre and it’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Facilities, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
