Penrith Beach should be the start, not the end goal

While the NSW Treasurer announced overnight it would be looking to commit $2.5 million in its budget this week to opening Penrith Beach for the 2024-25 summer, Western Sydney Lakes has said the community deserves much more.

While the news of a commitment to Penrith Beach for the upcoming summer will be welcomed by the community, Western Sydney Lakes, where Penrith Beach is located, has said this should only be the start for Western Sydney, but more should be done. 

While the Penrith Beach summer season was a huge success, welcoming more than 200,000 people to its sandy shores between December 2023 and April 2024, Western Sydney Lakes is still waiting for a planning pathway from the NSW Government for rezoning of the site, so it can deliver on its vision for the Lakehouse and Southbank precinct, which would be a game changer for Western Sydney. The Lakes originally submitted its planning approval to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment in May 2022, more than two years later, no outcome has been achieved 

Western Sydney Lakes Board Director, Jacqueline Vozzo said:

“While Penrith Beach has been welcomed by the community as a spot close to home to cool off over the summer months, what we really want to see from the NSW Government is a planning pathway to deliver the Lakehouse and our broader vision for the Lakes precinct. 

“Penrith Beach could be the start of great things for the Western Sydney community. The addition of a Lakehouse and tourism precinct, especially with the airport opening in less than two years’ time, would create a world-class precinct that would encourage people to arrive, stay and play in Western Sydney. Our vision, which we unveiled at the end of 2022, would also provide an economic boost to Western Sydney, contributing a potential 5,000 direct jobs and almost 10,000 indirect jobs.

“Penrith Beach has been an important step forward, but the people of Western Sydney deserve more, and we have the vision to deliver that with the support of the NSW Government,” said Vozzo. 

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