Northwest
Sydney Metro Northwest required planning approvals from both the NSW and Commonwealth governments.
Federal planning approvals
The Australian Government Minister for Environment granted federal planning approval for the Sydney Metro Northwest project on 11 April 2013.
NSW State planning approvals
Sydney Metro Northwest is subject to an environmental assessment under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). The project is classified as Critical State Significant Infrastructure. The Concept Plan for the project was approved on 6 May 2008. .
A modification to the staged Critical State Significant Infrastructure application was approved on 25 September 2012 to relocate Kellyville Station, provide additional stations at Bella Vista and Tallawong and for minor changes to be made at Castle Hill Station and the alignment.
Before work started on the project a detailed environmental assessment was carried out and approved by the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure at each stage. These project planning approvals under Part 5 division 5.2 (formally Part 5.1) of the EP&A Act are split into:
- Major civil construction works planning approval
- Stations, rail infrastructure and systems planning
- Sydney Metro Trains Facility planning approval
Major civil construction works – planning approval
The first Environmental Impact Statement (EIS1) assessed impacts for major civil construction works. This covered major activities including tunnelling and viaduct construction. The EIS1 application was approved by the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure on 25 September 2012.
A modification to EIS1 was approved on 18 April 2013 to incorporate changes to the Hills Showground Station and adjacent precinct.
Stations, rail infrastructure and systems – planning approval
The second Environmental Impact Statement (EIS2) assessed impacts for stations, rail infrastructure and systems work. This covered the construction and operation of the railway, including stations and station precincts, rail systems and infrastructure. The EIS2 application was approved by the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure on 8 May 2013.
A modification to EIS2 was approved on 20 May 2015 for a cable-stayed bridge over Windsor Road, Rouse Hill.
Sydney Metro Trains Facility – planning approval
The Sydney Metro Trains Facility Environmental Impact Statement (SMTF EIS) assessed impacts for the construction and operation of a train stabling and maintenance facility at Rouse Hill and was approved by the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure on 15 January 2014.
EP&A Act Part 5 – planning approvals
After receiving all applicable state and federal planning approvals, the Sydney Metro Northwest project has obtained further state planning approvals under Part 5 of the EP&A Act. These approvals are self-determined by Sydney Metro in accordance with the provisions of the EP&A Act Part 5 Division 5.1.
Sydney Metro Part 5 Division 5.1 approvals are often in the form of Review of Environmental Factors (REF) documents and currently include the:
Compliance documentation
Sydney Metro’s compliance with planning approvals is typically produced in the form of management plans, impact statements, monitoring reports and specialist consultant reports.
All Sydney Metro Northwest compliance documentation is accessible from the document library and the current project contractor websites:
- Tunnelling contractor (contract complete)
- Skytrain contractor (contract complete)
- Operations, trains and systems contractor