Campbelltown City Centre Planning Proposal

Campbelltown is evolving as the metropolitan heart of one of Greater Sydney’s fastest-growing areas. Building on the Reimagining Campbelltown City Centre Master Plan developed by our team in 2020, Campbelltown City Council engaged us to translate its long-term vision into a practical planning, design and infrastructure framework. The project responds to the city centre’s strong health, education and civic foundations, while addressing the interconnected pressures of growth, changing market conditions, flooding, urban heat and car-based travel. The brief called for more than new planning controls. It required an integrated pathway that could align development, land use, public space and infrastructure investment, while retaining the ambition and place-based qualities established through the master plan.

We led a multidisciplinary team spanning planning, urban design, landscape architecture, transport, economics, community infrastructure and development feasibility, supported by specialist subconsultants in complementary disciplines. This breadth of technical expertise allowed each component to be developed as part of one coherent city-centre strategy rather than as a series of separate studies. Our ‘Vision and Validate’ methodology starts with the shared aspiration for Campbelltown, then uses detailed technical investigations to test, refine and strengthen the pathway to delivery. Collaboration was central to the process. Through co-design, we brought Council, stakeholders and community perspectives into the development of ideas, options and solutions. This approach helped build alignment around complex trade-offs and ensured the emerging framework reflects local priorities while responding to wider metropolitan trends.

The Planning Proposal translated the master plan vision into a coordinated suite of implementation tools. These include detailed built-form controls and design guidance, rebalanced land-use controls that respond to changing market conditions and Campbelltown’s evolving role in south-west Sydney, a public domain master plan focused on vibrant and accessible places, and an infrastructure contributions plan to support parks, recreation, utilities and transport services. Together, these elements give Council an evidence-based framework for guiding growth and investment with greater confidence. The project demonstrates the value of continuity from vision through to statutory planning: our knowledge of the earlier master plan, combined with integrated technical expertise and a collaborative delivery model, was critical in protecting the original ambition while making it practical, testable and implementable.

The result is a clearer pathway toward a well-connected, resilient and distinctive city centre that can support growth, improve liveability and strengthen Campbelltown’s metropolitan identity.