Statement of Management Intent

Penrith Lakes Regional Park

1. Introduction

This statement outlines the main values, issues, management directions and priorities of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for managing Penrith Lakes Regional Park. This statement, together with relevant NPWS policies, will guide the management of the park until a plan of management has been prepared in accordance with the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act). The NPWS Managing Parks Prior to Plan of Management Policy states that parks and reserves without a plan of management are to be managed in a manner consistent with the intent of the NPW Act and the ‘precautionary principle’ (see Principle 15).

2. Management principles

Regional parks are reserved under the NPW Act to protect and conserve areas in a natural or modified landscape that are suitable for public recreation and enjoyment. Under the NPW Act (section 30H), regional parks are managed to: • provide opportunities for recreation and enjoyment in natural or modified landscapes • identify, interpret, manage and conserve the park so as to maintain and enhance significant landscape values • conserve natural and cultural values • promote public appreciation and understanding of the park’s natural and cultural values • provide for sustainable visitor or tourist use and enjoyment that is compatible with conservation of natural and cultural values • provide for sustainable use (including adaptive reuse) of any buildings or structures or modified natural areas having regard to conservation or natural and cultural values. Regional parks are established for the purpose of providing recreational opportunities while protecting natural, cultural and landscape values.

3. Context

Reservation details: Penrith Lakes Regional Park was reserved on 24 April 1998. Size: 0.67 hectares.

Penrith Lakes Regional Park is located on the floodplain of the , 40 kilometres west of ’s Central Business District. It lies within the Sydney Basin Bioregion. It also falls within the administrative areas of Penrith City Council, Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council, and Greater Sydney Local Land Services.

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Since the 1950s the area now known as Penrith Lakes was used for quarrying sand and gravel. In the 1980s the existing quarries merged to form the Penrith Lakes Development Corporation and coordinate the orderly extraction of sand and gravel from the site. In 1987 the Corporation entered into an agreement with the NSW Government for the implementation of the Penrith Lakes Scheme. The Scheme provided for secure access to the resources, construction of a lake system, progressive remediation and rehabilitation of the site and the provision of public recreational facilities. The present-day Penrith Lakes area is 2000 hectares, including a system of lakes, wetlands, floodplains and rehabilitated vegetation communities. Penrith Lakes Regional Park was reserved in 1998 and comprises a small portion (0.67 hectares) of land, a road corridor at the end of McCarthys Lane, formerly managed by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure. The land was transferred to NPWS estate for the purpose of providing an area of land within the Penrith Lakes Scheme which could form the basis of a larger regional park in the future. However, no further acquisitions have taken place since the park’s initial reservation in 1998.

4. Values

• There is no visitor access to Penrith Lakes Regional Park, and the park itself has no recreational value, however the surrounding Penrith Lakes area provides a range of recreational facilities and opportunities.

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• The Sydney International Regatta Centre and The Penrith Whitewater Stadium, which were both used in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, are located at Penrith Lakes. Each month 50,000 people visit Penrith Lakes, and each year 10,000 students visit Penrith Lakes Environmental Education Centre to learn about the local environment and the Penrith Lakes Scheme land rehabilitation program. • The current Penrith Lakes Regional Park is considered to have low ecological value, however lands surrounding the Penrith Lakes Scheme site, such as Yellomundee Regional Park and Wianamatta , provide habitat for a variety of threatened plant and animal species. • There are no records of Aboriginal or historic heritage sites within Penrith Lakes Regional Park, however the broader Penrith Lakes area contains archaeological evidence of Aboriginal campsites, stone artefacts, faunal remains and hearths, and European and convict heritage sites. • Significant nearby historic sites include Hadley Park, built in 1812, and the first Methodist chapel in , Castlereagh Methodist Church, built in 1817.

5. Issues

• The regional park is surrounded by land owned by the Penrith Lakes Development Corporation. There is no formal public or management access to the park. • The park is an old road corridor which has low ecological value and no known Aboriginal or historic value. The small size and lack of conservation value makes the park unsustainable for management as a regional park. • NPWS does not plan to expand Penrith Lakes Regional Park.

6. Key management directions

• NPWS will continue to seek revocation of Penrith Lakes Regional Park. • All management activities will be preceded by the preparation of an environmental assessment or heritage assessment where this is a requirement of NPWS policy or legislation. • Environmental repair and threat management programs, such as erosion mitigation measures, pest management, and activities arising from threatened species requirements may be implemented in accordance with NPWS policies and procedures. • Non-intrusive works may be undertaken where necessary to protect cultural heritage items from further deterioration, to ensure the safety of visitors, to protect wildlife or to prevent damage to park assets. • A plan of management will be prepared to set out the ongoing management objectives for the park if further acquisitions extend the size and value of the park. The plan of management is a statutory document under the NPW Act which will be available for public comment.

For additional information or enquiries about any aspect of this park or this statement, contact the NPWS Cumberland Area Office on (02) 4572 3100 or Scheyville National Park, Scheyville Road, Scheyville or PO Box 4070, Pitt Town, NSW 2756.

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Disclaimer: This is a statement of intent to Published by: guide the management of the park prior to the development of a plan of management. Office of Environment and Heritage Any statements made in this publication are 59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000 made in good faith and do not render the PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 Office of Environment and Heritage liable for Phone: (02) 9995 5000 any loss or damage. Provisions in the final plan of management may vary from those ISBN 978 1 74359 692 0 identified in this document as a result of new OEH 2014/0475 information and community consultation. The June 2014 maps in this statement are intended to show the park’s location and basic features only, and are not suitable for use when navigating to or exploring within parks.

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