Recognise Country Guidelines for development in the Aerotropolis
At a glance
The team worked alongside the Western Sydney Aboriginal community to understand their needs and aspirations for the future.
The challenge
In 2020, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment finalised Phase 2 of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Development Control Plan (DSP). The DCP recognised the importance of building and designing the Western Sydney Aerotropolis in a way that is connected to the Culture, wisdom and knowledge of Aboriginal people.
Our response
In partnership with Zion Engagement and Planning, GHD created the Recognise Country guidelines to support and guide consent authorities, proponents and landowners in responding to and implementing elements of Connecting to Country, Caring for Country and Designing with Country in the Aerotropolis.
The team worked alongside the Western Sydney Aboriginal community to understand their needs and aspirations for the future.
The guidelines set out the importance of meaningful consultation with the Western Sydney Aboriginal community and built on the the community's request to see more cultural celebration reflected in the built form of Western Sydney.
The impact
Key impacts of the project include:
- Going beyond a ‘business as usual’ approach to embed Aboriginal perspectives and values into the future built environment in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
- Alignment with the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Planning Framework as well as key strategies including the Draft Connecting with Country Framework (GANSW) and the Our Place on Country Strategy (DPIE).
- Iterative consultation process with the cultural advisory group, Traditional Custodians and planning assessment officers, to achieve a high quality Guideline that is robust and practical for industry and Aboriginal people.
- Providing ongoing benefits and opportunities for Aboriginal people and communities throughout planning, design, construction and operation.
Through developing robust and tangible performance outcomes and benchmark solutions, the team were able to provide clear requirements to industry. The guidelines also respond to current gaps in legislation and provide a higher level of accountability to proponents, landholders and assessment officers to support development in providing ongoing benefits to the local Aboriginal people and communities.
Embedding specific performance outcomes and requirements into a DCP in this way is unprecedented in Australia therefore, the project team recognised the need to support and guide industry, including proponents, landholders and assessment officers. The Guidelines will help to build industry’s confidence and capacity in challenging business-as-usual thinking and processes and delivering positive outcomes for the built environment in the Aerotropolis.
In 2021, the project team was awarded the prestigious NSW planning Institute of Australia’s President’s Award for the outstanding work undertaken to develop the Recognise Country: Guidelines for development in the Aerotropolis.
I’m glad to see that practitioners will have a useful resource to integrate Aboriginal culture and values into the Aerotropolis. I’m sure it will also develop into a benchmark framework for areas outside of the Aerotropolis moving forward and I’m excited to see the end product.”