Hornsby Shire Council Hornsby Integrated Land Use and Transport Strategy Final Report [DRAFT] November 2004 Hornsby Shire Council Hornsby Integrated Land Use and Transport Strategy [Final Draft] November 2004 PBAI Australia Pty Ltd Suite 6, 102 Alfred Street PO Box 705 Milsons Point NSW 2061 t – 02 9460 2444 f – 02 9460 2477 [email protected] Hornsby Integrated Land Use and Transport Strategy Executive Summary Hornsby Integrated Land Use and Transport Strategy Executive Summary Introduction Hornsby Shire Council is committed to developing an Integrated Land Use and Transport Strategy (ILUTS) that will provide a framework for action and promote viable and sustainable transport for the Shire. Council’s prime objective for the development of this strategy is to reduce car travel by promoting other modes of transport, particularly in view of the unsustainable historical increase in motor vehicle traffic associated with population growth. At a strategic level Hornsby Shire Council has already expressed its intent of creating a living environment. The development of the ILUTS will therefore build on a number of existing Council initiatives and policies including the Local Agenda 21 program, Hornsby Shire Housing Strategy and Council’s Sustainable Management System. The ILUTS is intended to: • Develop a series of action plans, consistent with the identified strategies, that will form a program of more detailed studies, investigations and projects; • Define a range of indicators to assist Council in monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of the Strategy; and • Recommend an Implementation Program outlining a clear means of progressing the Strategy, including priorities, responsibilities and potential funding opportunities. The Strategy has been developed over three stages: • Stage 1 State of Play – establishing existing conditions and the framework for developing an integrated land use and transport strategy; • Stage 2 Development of Integrated Strategies – develop broad land use and transport strategies that will address the existing issues and aim to achieve Council’s intent of creating a living environment; and, • Stage 3 Development of Action Plans and Program of Implementation – develop and document action plans with measurable indicators for Council to implement. A multi-modal transport model has also been developed to test the strategy options and assist Council in planing their activities in the future. Public and stakeholder consultation has contributed to the development of the study, through: • Workshops with Council Officers; • Meeting and discussions with key stakeholders including State Government Departments and private bus operators; • Information leaflet delivered to all households within the Shire along with the recent rates notices; and • Direct feedback and discussions with the community via telephone and email based on the information provided in the leaflet. Policy Context State Government policy as defined in Shaping Our Cities, Action for Air, Action for Transport 2010, Action for Bikes 2010, Connecting the Central Coast and Integrating Land Use and Transport (Draft SEPP 66) support the principles of the ILUTS, in particular: PBAI Australia i November 2004 Hornsby Integrated Land Use and Transport Strategy Executive Summary • A reduction in car use and an increase in the use of more sustainable alternatives; • Development of urban areas that are pleasant and attractive places to live and work in; and, • An integrated approach to the planning of land use and transport that results in an overall reduction in the need to travel by car. At a local level, Hornsby Shire Council policies also support the development of the ILUTS. The key findings of the local policy and planning guidance reviews include: • A high proportion (around 87%) of the Shire is zoned Open Space, Environmental Protection or Rural and is currently constrained from many types of development; • Standards in the LEP control development densities by land use zone; • The LEP allows for greater densities in town centres, particularly in the medium and high density residential zones and the business zones; • Provisions in the LEP allow for developments to exceed density controls at certain locations and subject to special provisions; • 12 hectares of land are zoned for high density residential, and this land is located in Hornsby town centre; and, • Parking requirements for new development in Hornsby are set as absolute levels, generally in accordance with RTA guidelines. Existing Situation The Hornsby Shire is the second largest local government area in the Sydney region in terms of geographical area (510 square kilometres). It is located in the north of the Sydney Metropolitan area, covering an area between Epping, Wisemans Ferry and Brooklyn. The Hawkesbury River forms Hornsby’s northern boundary and the F3 Freeway and the Main North Rail Line generally form the Shire’s eastern boundary with Ku-ring-gai LGA. The western boundary generally adjoins Baulkham Hills LGA. External to Hornsby Shire, Sydney CBD and regional centres at Parramatta, Chatswood and a new centre at Rouse Hill will have an impact on land use and transport within Hornsby. The Sydney CBD and regional centres provide (or will provide) major employment and retailing opportunities and may attract population as well as retail and commercial functions from Hornsby. Key findings from the analysis of land uses include: • Hornsby is generally regarded as a “bushland” Shire with urban areas concentrated in the south. Extensive areas of the Shire are zoned Open Space, Environment Protection or Rural and planning policies restrict development in these zones. Substantial parts of the western and north-western parts of the Shire are rural interspersed with some urban village settlements. • The majority of the residential areas are low density suburbs, with medium and high density areas concentrated in Hornsby town centre and other district centres. The development of Cherrybrook release area is largely complete in the western part of the Shire. • Hornsby Shire has a comprehensive and well established transport network that links the key activity centres and residential areas within the Shire to major external centres such as Chatswood, North Sydney and Sydney CBD. An analysis of socio-economic and demographic data for the Hornsby Shire area identified the following: • The population of Hornsby in 1996 was approximately 136,000, early census data indicates that the population had increased to 146,000 by 2001. The population of Hornsby Shire grew 3 to 4% more than the population of the Sydney metropolitan area between 1981 and 1996 with over 70% of that growth occurring in Ward B (Cherrybrook Release Area). PBAI Australia ii November 2004 Hornsby Integrated Land Use and Transport Strategy Executive Summary • Hornsby has a “mature” population profile (i.e. the population is characterised by a similar number of people in each 5 year age range). The population ageing, with the population generally below the age of 20 declining and the population over 65 years increasing; • The number of occupied dwellings in Hornsby increased by over 10,000 between 1981 and 1996 to approximately 46,000 dwellings in 1996 and by a further 3,600 to almost 50,000 in 2001. • Average dwelling occupancy in Hornsby fell from 3.09 to 2.85 persons per dwelling between 1981 and 2001. In 1996 the Sydney average was 2.73 persons per dwelling. • In 1996 Hornsby had a resident labour force (people working or looking for work) of almost 70,000 people. Approximately 30% of the resident workforce work within Hornsby with other major employment locations for residents being neighbouring LGAs and the Sydney CBD. The main transport routes which traverse Hornsby include: • The M2 motorway, which provides a major road connection through the southern part of the Shire, north of Epping, connecting the Sydney CBD with major centres at Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill and Parramatta. • The Pacific Highway and F3 Freeway which traverse the eastern part of the Shire to provide a north-south regional connection between Sydney and Newcastle. • The Pennant Hills Road, which currently provides a link between the M2 and F3 and, with the Cumberland Highway, is identified as part of the National Network. • The Main North Line on the rail network, which extends from Sydney CBD, through Strathfield and Hornsby to Newcastle, with stations located throughout the Shire. • The North Shore Rail Line extends south from Hornsby through Waitara providing direct links to Chatswood, North Sydney and Sydney CBD. The following transport proposals are relevant to the study: • A Federal study is currently considering the connection between the M2 and the F3. It is widely recognised that Pennant Hills Road cannot continue to provide a key link in the development of an orbital motorway for Sydney and should be replaced. • It is hoped the Parramatta Rail Link (PRL) will ultimately link Parramatta and Chatswood via Epping with a new 28km railway. Following a reassessment of the project the Epping to Parramatta section has been deferred indefinitely. Work has, however, commenced on the Chatswood to Epping section of the line. Three new stations will be added to the CityRail network with completion of the Chatswood to Epping section and Epping station will be upgraded. • The North West Rail Link (NWRL) is proposed to be completed in two stages – from Epping to Castle Hill and then on to Rouse Hill. At this stage there is no program date for construction or funding