Western Sydney Aerotropolis Stormwater

We're committed to delivering efficient and timely investment in the Aerotropolis precincts to support urban development. The information below outlines our approach to Stormwater Infrastructure Contribution Bonding for the remaining precincts (Bradfield, Badgerys Creek, Northern Gateway and Agri-business).

If you have planned development in these areas, we'd welcome the opportunity to engage with you early to allow time to explore how the stormwater scheme can be optimised and integrated with your development to minimise costs and maximise developable land while achieving the waterway health objectives.

Our innovative approach to managing stormwater in the Aerotropolis

• To support liveable cities and healthy, resilient communities as Western Sydney grows, the NSW Government introduced new waterway health targets for the Wianamatta–South Creek catchment.
• Achieving these environmental, social and economic objectives required a new approach to planning growth to integrate water management early to protect sensitive waterways as development happens, to prevent degradation, erosion and pollution.
• In 2022, Sydney Water was appointed by the NSW Government as the Regional Stormwater Authority for the Aerotropolis Initial Precincts. In this role, we're delivering, managing and maintaining the regional stormwater network along with drinking water, wastewater and recycled water networks on behalf of the government.
• This provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink how we deliver essential infrastructure and services, integrating them with the natural landscape to create more sustainable, resilient and liveable places.

Delivering stormwater infrastructure as the region grows

• Stormwater infrastructure requires significant investment and will be delivered gradually over the next 10 to 20 years in alignment with the predicted completion of the precincts to minimise and manage the impacts of development as it occurs in the Aerotropolis.
• To support development before the scheme designs and a registered Development Servicing Plan with IPART are finalised, we will adopt a Stormwater Infrastructure Contribution Bond.
• This bonding amount acts as a 'financial security' and ensures all development across the Aerotropolis contributes to the cost of providing stormwater services and allows Sydney Water to progress Section 73 compliance certificates for development proceeding ahead of a registered Development Servicing Plan.
• A bonding rate of $1.019 million ($FY25) per developable hectare has been set, based on the efficiencies and learnings from IPART's review of the Mamre Road scheme. This is 40% less than initial estimates. This amount will increase each year in line with CPI.
• We're working to further optimise the design and configuration for the scheme while maintaining a focus on achieving the waterway health targets, and adopting lessons learnt from Mamre Road.
• The bonding amount may change as Sydney Water keeps working with developers and Government to further optimise the scheme. We will regularly review the bond amount and may update it to reflect future scheme costs.
• Once planning is complete, the draft Development Servicing Plan(s) and associated infrastructure charges will be publicly exhibited by Sydney Water in late 2025 before being registered with IPART.
• There may be one or more Development Servicing Plans registered for the Aerotropolis Initial Precincts based on the final scheme designs and configurations.

If you have questions, email aerostormwater@sydneywater.com.au.

The public exhibition period will run from Wednesday 8 January 2025 until Thursday 20 February 2025. It provides the community an opportunity to read the draft Mamre Road Precinct Integrated Stormwater Development Servicing Plan, seek clarification and provide feedback directly to us.

Feedback on the draft DSP can be submitted via email to aerostormwater@sydneywater.com.au no later than Thursday 20 February 2025.

We will consider all written submissions as part of the process of the DSP being registered with IPART. We will not publish individual submissions. However, we will provide a 'what we heard' summary report on our website and provide a copy of all submissions to our regulator IPART when we submit the finalised DSP for registration. We may also use information gathered (with identifying information removed) in development of future documents to inform other government agencies and/or IPART.

If you need any support on how to make a submission, email aerostormwater@sydneywater.com.au.

We're pleased to announce that after extensive consultation we have now published the final Stormwater Developer Works Policy, which applies to the Mamre Road and Aerotropolis Initial Precincts.

The policy provides the mechanism for developers to be reimbursed for stormwater works delivered on behalf of Sydney Water.

The policy has been informed by 2 exhibition periods, and we would like to thank everyone who provided us with valuable feedback during this consultation. Additional issues raised during the recent exhibition are summarised in the Addendum to the Outcomes Report. This should be read in conjunction with the Outcomes Report for a comprehensive overview of consultation outcomes.

We will continue to work on efficiencies in the developer works process, and are committed to regular updates of the policy to incorporate any efficiencies where practical and appropriate.

If you have questions on the policy content or application, email aerostormwater@sydneywater.com.au.

Following public consultation commencing in late 2023 and concluding on 11 January 2024, we have further refined the draft Stormwater Developer Works Policy for the Mamre Road and Aerotropolis Initial Precincts.

The policy stipulates how developers will be reimbursed for the design and construction of regional stormwater infrastructure on behalf of Sydney Water in these precincts.

We know that the details of the policy have the potential to influence the approach to development in these areas. In order to ensure all relevant feedback is captured, we have provided a copy of the Final draft of the policy and Appendix A (Inclusions & Exclusions) We will accept concise and material comments from stakeholders for a period of 2 weeks commencing on 16 September.

Written responses should be sent to aerostormwater@sydneywater.com.au and will be accepted until close of business 30 September 2024. We will review these responses and make appropriate updates before finalising the policy by late October 2024.

Please note: We are finalising the NSW Government approval process for funding of the Mamre Road Stormwater Scheme and are currently in the process of scheme planning and optimisation for the Aerotropolis Initial Precincts.

Once Development Servicing Plans have been registered with IPART for these areas, we can enter into commercial agreements with developers and landowners for the funding of developer-delivered stormwater infrastructure. Consequently, any expenditure by a developer or landowner on stormwater infrastructure prior to finalisation of this approval process remains at their own risk. Until then, we will not take ownership of, nor reimburse costs associated with stormwater infrastructure or servicing. Where works are proposed in advance of this, we are open to discussing arrangements to enable future reimbursement in accordance with the Policy. This may be in the form of a Letter of Intent, as noted in the Policy.

IPART is currently undertaking an independent efficiency review of the Mamre Road Stormwater Scheme. The findings of this review may influence the future content of this policy.

Update on Final Draft Stormwater Developer Works Policy

The consultation period is now closed. We would like to thank all participants for their involvement and appreciate the valuable contributions made during this process.

Next steps

We will consider the relevant matters raised in the feedback received in the finalisation of the Stormwater Developer Works Policy.

As we move forward, we encourage all stakeholders to continue engaging with us throughout the process. We value your input and look forward to working together.

If you have questions, email aerostormwater@sydneywater.com.au.

Following the EOI tendering process, we're excited to publish the Western Sydney Stormwater designers list.

The designers list comprises subject matter experts for the design and delivery of large-scale blue-green infrastructure, including:

• passively irrigated street trees 
• gross pollutant traps (GPTs) 
• naturalised open channels 
• creek rehabilitation and/or reconstruction 
• large-scale wetlands 
• large-scale water harvesting ponds
• bioretention systems 
• pump and recirculation infrastructure 
• other associated drainage infrastructure.  

The designers list is available for developers and landowners to use within the Aerotropolis Initial Precincts, including Mamre Road Precinct.

Expressions of Interest have closed. If you have any questions, reach out to the team at aerostormwater@sydneywater.com.au.

DISCLAIMER

The suppliers on the Western Sydney Stormwater designers list attached have represented to us that they have the experience and qualifications needed to do the types of work listed. We make no guarantees or warranties about their performance, commercial practices or financial viability and do not endorse any of the products or services offered.
We advise you to be diligent in selecting a supplier with the appropriate capability and to obtain a number of quotes to increase your confidence in your decision. 

Competencies of the individuals proposed for the project will be reviewed at the start of the first engagement.

In late 2023, we launched a public consultation on the draft Stormwater Developer Works Policy seeking feedback from the development industry.

The consultation ran over 8 weeks, and included an online survey and a developer briefing session.

We thank the industry for taking the time to provide submissions on the Policy.

This Engagement Outcomes Report provides an overview of the feedback shared during the consultation process and actions to be taken by Sydney Water. This feedback is being used to inform the finalisation of the Policy.

Please note: Sydney Water is nearing finalisation of the NSW Government approval process for funding of the Mamre Road Stormwater scheme. Once approval is granted and the Development Services Plan has been registered with IPART, we can enter into commercial agreements with developers and landowners for the funding of developer-delivered stormwater infrastructure.

Consequently, any expenditure by a developer or landowner on stormwater infrastructure prior to finalisation of this approval process remains at their own risk. Until then, Sydney Water will not take ownership of, nor reimburse costs associated with, unapproved stormwater infrastructure or servicing.

We have reviewed and updated the Mamre Road Precinct Integrated Stormwater Scheme (the scheme plan).

Minor changes have been made to:

1) Including the non-potable water network and associated assets

2) Improving the efficiency of the basins by ensuring the optimal asset depths and layouts

3) Maximising RE1 land within the precinct by reducing Sydney Water asset footprints on RE1 land

4) Reducing the Development Service Plan (DSP) costs by reducing severance risk on key land parcels

The updated scheme plan is in the documents section of this page.

Based on further technical refinement and planning, including liaison with key stakeholders, please find the following updated documents:

• Mamre Road Precinct Stormwater Scheme Plan – December 2023
• Mamre Road Precinct – Regional Stormwater Scheme Optimisation Summary – December 2023
• Mamre Road Precinct Stormwater Scheme GIS – December 2023 (ZIP File 1.53MB)
• Mamre Road Precinct Stormwater MUSIC models – December 2023 (ZIP File 2.19MB)
• Mamre Road Precinct Stormwater Civil CAD/12D files of key assets – December 2023 (ZIP File 34.6MB)

Updates of the Stormwater Scheme Infrastructure Technical Guidelines, standard drawings, and Mamre Road Precinct Stormwater Scheme Report will be updated/released early in 2024.

Thank you to the community members and stakeholders who provided feedback on our draft Mamre Road Scheme Plan and Aerotropolis Stormwater Management Framework.

Based on the feedback we have received as well as further technical studies and planning, we have now finalised the following documents:

• Mamre Road Stormwater Scheme Plan. If you would like to access GIS layers for the trunk stormwater infrastructure click here(ZIP File 1.53mb) 
• Stormwater Management Framework for Aerotropolis and Mamre Road Precincts

We have also prepared a preliminary draft of a Stormwater Scheme Infrastructure Design Guideline:

• Draft Stormwater Scheme Infrastructure Technical Guidelines
• Appendix A – Typical Concept Sketches
• Appendix B – Planting Palette

Mamre Road Precinct Stormwater Scheme Plan

The Stormwater Scheme Plan shows the regional stormwater infrastructure required to service the Mamre Road Precinct and to be managed by Sydney Water.

Stormwater Management Framework for Aerotropolis and Mamre Road Precinct

The Framework proposes guiding principles for Sydney Water, in partnership with local councils, Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, and developers to manage trunk stormwater infrastructure in the Aerotropolis and Mamre Road precincts. The Framework has 3 components:

1. Principles to guide development decisions and stormwater planning
2. Proposed governance for management and delivery of stormwater assets
3. Stormwater planning approvals pathway

Stormwater Scheme Infrastructure Design Guideline

The Design Guideline outlines our design requirements for key elements of the stormwater infrastructure. The Design Guideline is currently in a preliminary draft. We are publishing it prior to it being complete to allow developers and stakeholders the earliest opportunity to incorporate elements of the guideline that have been developed into their projects and planning.

A recording of the developer briefing held on Friday 10 June is now available.

The briefing explains how Sydney Water proposes to manage stormwater in the Aerotropolis and Mamre Road precincts. The video also outlines the planning work that is currently on consultation.

View the recording here.