Parramatta has a brilliant future. Inward investment is creating many new jobs, bringing greater prosperity to the whole region.
“Commercial rent is cheaper than Sydney’s CBD, enticing many companies to locate here. Castrol’s Asia Pacific Headquarters are now in Parramatta and the Health Insurance Commission has recently established a call centre operation creating 500 new jobs. A further call centre operation is expected to be announced shortly.”
He said the City’s excellent public transport system is a drawcard for 24 hour operations, such as call centres. In addition, Parramatta has the skilled multilingual staff to readily fill the required positions. “Council is aiming to build Parramatta as the alternative business centre to Sydney,” Joe Diffen said.
The City already has many runs on the board in this regard. It is the third largest legal centre in Australia after Sydney and Melbourne. Parramatta’s Westfield Shoppingtown is the largest retail shopping mall in the Southern Hemisphere. It has a world leading health care and research precinct situated at Westmead, the list goes on.
Its key industries include business services, retail, manufacturing, health, cultural tourism and education, with an annual turnover of around $9 billion. Council is working in close partnership with the State Government and other stakeholders to make the most of this situation.
As well as a commercial property boom, there is also an increased demand for residential development, particularly in the CBD area. Strategic planning covering all forms of new development ensures Parramatta continues to be a vibrant, sustainable City. Protection of its heritage and lifestyle attributes is a high priority.
“In all our planning, a key stakeholder is the community,” Joe Diffen said. “Our consultation process used in the development of the REP and Parramatta Strategic Plan 2000-2020 is a demonstration of how serious we are about involving the community in every stage of planning for the future.”
