City of Canterbury Bankstown is incredibly proud that it’s bold vision to transform Campsie into a vibrant Strategic Centre has been honoured with the “Australian Urban Design” award by the Planning Institute of Australia.

The Campsie Master Plan has been awarded the prestigious ‘Leadership, Advocacy and Research – Local or Neighbourhood Scale’ category at the 2022 Australian Urban Design Awards.

The Master Plan sets out a impressive design-centred framework to deliver a healthy and thriving community.

A collaboration between the Planning Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, the Awards showcase the country’s premier urban design projects.

A Canterbury-Bankstown Council spokesperson said it’s thrilling to see Council’s grand vision for the future of Campsie recognised on a national scale with this hotly-contested award.

“The Award is a testament to the incredibly hard work and collaboration between Council’s urban design and planning teams, to shape the future of the Campsie Town Centre,” the Council spokesperson said.

“The Campsie Master Plan will see Campsie transformed from a high street into a vibrant Strategic Centre that is a medical and lifestyle precinct and an exciting destination. It will also provide thousands of new jobs, affordable housing and investment to our community.”

The vision and direction of the Master Plan sets a fantastic ambition for the Campsie Town Centre to deliver:

• New Civic Precinct including new library, community facilities, adaptive reuse of heritage listed Orion Centre;
• Council purchasing land over time for open space;
• New open space along Cooks River foreshore, one of Sydney’s busiest active transport corridors from Tempe to Olympic Park/Strathfield;
• Canterbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre upgrades;
• Upgrades to local parks and infrastructure;
• A diversity of jobs;
• Affordable homes;
• First of its kind sustainability measures; and
• A great place to live, work, learn and invest.

Master Plans also provide clarity for State agencies to plan for their infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals.

Nine technical studies and detailed 3D modelling informed the Master Plan and ensured the future vision for Campsie was nuanced, place-based and holistic.

A Council spokesperson said Council undertook extensive and multi-layered community engagement in the development of the Master Plan.

“We did everything we could to ensure our multicultural community was well informed and had their chance to provide feedback,” the Council spokesperson said.

“This included a drop in office in Campsie, translated material and a multilingual call back line to have a conversation in a range of languages.”
The Campsie Master Plan also received a commendation at the Planning Institute of Australia NSW 2022 Awards for Planning Excellence for community engagement, and previous recognition by the Greater Cities Commission’s 2021 Greater Sydney Planning Awards.

Both the Campsie and Bankstown Masterplans are currently sitting with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment to be progressed to the next stage.

To find out more about the Campsie Master Plan, visit cb.city/CampsieMasterPlan