St George ‘Green Team’
The St George Corporate and Business Bank Parramatta are taking their drive for a clean energy future to the next level, thanks to the trial of a new Mitsubishi i-Miev, a fully electric powered car. The Parramatta commercial banking team, has demonstrated its commitment to the environment through establishing its own ‘Green Team’ of volunteers, who will use the car in the local area for client visits and other business, in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint and raise community awareness about looking after the environment.
Plant to power 1500 homes
A new hydro-electric plant at Prospect which will generate enough power for 1500 homes. The plant will generate about five per cent of Sydney Water’s total energy needs every year and will power Sydney’s largest water pumping station at Prospect. The plant converts potential energy from water flows from Warragamba Dam - which range from 5,000 to 12,000 litres per second into electricity.
Recycled water by 2015
By 2015 the Hoxton Park Recycled Water scheme, currently under construction will supply about 900 mega litres of recycled water to 14,000 new homes, as well as industrial sites in Edmondson Park, Middleton Grange, Ingleburn Gardens, Yarrunga Industrial Area and Panorama Estate. Rod Kerr, of Sydney Water Strategic Asset Management, said there was more demand for recycled water in industrial areas and that eventually even more will be needed.
University of Western Sydney
The University of Western Sydney has sought Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Council’s (WSROC) support for a new initiative for the region: the development of a Regional Centre for Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development or “RCE”. The RCEs are a project of the United Nations University and the acceptance of the UWS bid will represent a significant achievement for UWS and a greater international profile and the region.
UWS appoints Dean
The University of Western Sydney has appointed Professor Annemarie Hennessy as the new dean of the school of medicine. Professor Hennessy, who is a world-leading physiology scientist and researcher, has been the foundation chair of medicine since the school's early beginnings, and has been teaching and mentoring UWS medical students since the first cohort began in 2007. She has a dual role as professor of medicine at UWS and director of medicine at Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals.
Green Skills training
Castle Hill RSL Club is putting 45 of its employees through the Australian Institute of Management's (AIM) Green Skills training course to ensure employees have the right skills to deliver the leadership knowledge and practical skills to help businesses become, and remain, sustainable. The club received a grant from the NSW Department of Education and Community Services for $78,750 to educate staff and equip them with the opportunity to continue to improve the organisation's sustainability.
New supermarket head
Woolworths, which has its corporate office at Bella Vista, has appointed Tjeerd Jegen, as director, of supermarkets and petrol. He will takeover before Christmas. He was a former executive of Tesco and Royal Ahold, a Netherlands-based company.
Airport seeks locals for group
Bankstown Airport Limited is seeking formal applications from interested members from the airport’s surrounding communities to apply for selection to its Bankstown Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group. “The role of the Bankstown Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group is to enable stakeholders to be consulted and involved in issues relating to the development and operation of Bankstown Airport in a constructive and effective manner,” said Colin Grove, CEO, Sydney Metro Airport Bankstown. Applications close at 5pm Friday 23 September, 2011.
EOI in committees
The Parramatta-based Regional Development Australia Sydney (RDA Sydney) has called for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from interested persons to join its committees. Volunteers who have vision, drive and community experience, who are able to represent the broad interests of their region and understand the local challenges are invited to consider membership. All EOIs will be considered against the skills and expertise needed by RDA committees. Terms of appointments are generally made for up to four years. EOIs are encouraged by Friday 16 September 2011.
8 Million Dollar extension
Nepean Hospital has announced plans for an $8 million extension and upgrade to its oral health centre. Construction, which will by handled by Donnelly Constructions, at Castle Hill, is expected to be completed by March. When complete, Nepean will have the state’s third largest centre for general, emergency and specialist dental care and will be able to expand services to children and adults in Penrith, the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury.
Penrith Up-to-date figures
Penrith City Council will be able in the future to provide up-to-date figures on visitors’ expenditure on events in the city The latest figures, for example, showed that in 2007 an estimated 925,000 visitors spent $128 million per annum, with that money going to businesses in the region. The Penrith Business Alliance has acquired a licence for an econometric analysis tool, with the council contributing to an add-on tourism module for the product.
Wireless communication
The Science and Industry Endowment Fund together with Macquarie University has funded the chair in Wireless Communications with the aim of facilitating world leading research in wireless communications through collaboration between CSIRO and the University. The inaugural chair is Dr Stephen Hanly. Dr Hanly said the new Chair had its origins in highly successful collaborations between the CSIRO ICT Centre and the Electronic Engineering Department at Macquarie University in the area of wireless communications.
Shopping centre additions
Knight Frank’s NSW Retail Market Overview, for August, notes the imminent completion of the extension of Stockland Merrylands as the only major retail development under construction, within the metropolitan area. Forthcoming major retail shopping centre projects in the pipeline likely to commence by 2012 consist of Queensland Investment Corporation’s 61,000-square-metre extension to the Castle Towers Shopping Centre and AMP/Westfield’s, 35,000-square-metre expansion of the Macquarie Centre.
Financial workshops
The Parramatta-based RDA Sydney conducted another in the series of Financial and Professional Business Services workshops, at Campbelltown Catholic Club, aimed an the encouragement and development of jobs. Among the attendees were representatives from Deloitte, Raine & Horne Commercial, Richard & Wrench, LJ Hooker and Trade & Investment NSW. Other workshops have been held in Parramatta, Penrith and Norwest, with another in Liverpool, on September 28.
Large property on the market
A major L-shaped mixed-use block in the Parramatta CBD core is for sale with expressions of interest closing on September 22, through Jones Lang LaSalle. The tenants of the 2403-square-metre property, with frontages to Church and George streets, include St George Bank, Aldi and Miller’s Fashion Club. Fully leased net income is $1,554,000 per annum.. The property surrounds a two-storey mixed-use property, on the south-east corner of the intersection, which was sold recently for $4.1 million. Its tenants include Tax Tips, Vodafone, Glamour Hair and 7-Eleven.
Creation of 75 jobs
Specialist electronics company, Thomas Electronics, has officially opened a new, 5500-square-metre operating facility at Regents Park, which will support future growth and the creation of up to 75 jobs over the next five years. The company is gearing up for significant growth in defence and commercial aerospace-related business.
Accounting firm wins tender
Accounting firm, Ernst & Young, won the tender to provide financial and strategic advice to the NSW government on the $7 billion North West Rail Link.
Proposal being assessed
The proposed $80 million Wet 'n' Wild Park in Prospect is expected to open as scheduled in 2013. A Department of Planning spokesman said the Village Roadshow’s proposal was being assessed. The plan, which includes the latest water rides and attractions, support facilities, landscaping, water cycle management, a three-storey hotel and car parking, received mixed responses when the park on a 25-hectare site at Reservoir Road was announced last year. Village Roadshow director Clark Kirby said it was expected to attract 900,000 visitors a year and create 300 jobs.
New industrial supply
Approximately 89 per cent of the new industrial supply due to complete in 2012 will take place in the Outer West – centred around Erskine Park – underpinned by demand from large retailers and third party logistics providers, according to CBRE research analyst, Gareth Dingle. “As occupiers look to cut costs along their supply chains, infrastructure is a critical consideration and this is driving demand in markets such as the Outer North West where 723,468 square metres of space is due to be completed in 2012 – the highest level on record,” said CBRE regional director of industrial, logistics & investments, Joshua Charles.
Meriton Apartments’ application
NSW Planning and Infrastructure has on public exhibition an application for a mixed-use residential, retail and commercial development, on the former David Jones site, at 330 Church Street, in the Parramatta CBD. Meriton Apartments seeks to construct a 43,787-square-metre complex including a 3-storey podium with eight retail tenancies, a 1928-square-metre supermarket, a 22-storey tower containing 170 serviced apartments and a 32-storey tower containing 211 residential apartments.
Recycled water scheme
Jemena Asset Management and Veolia Water Australia, on behalf of AquaNet Sydney, state the Rosehill Recycled Water Scheme is expected to commence on September 1. The scheme will deliver to customers 4.3 billion litres of recycled water per year for industry and irrigation in Smithfield and Rosehill/Camellia. The scheme includes a recycling plant at Fairfield, underground pipelines from Fairfield to Smithfield and Rosehill/Camellia, and storage tanks at Guildford and Rosehill/Camellia.
University moved up ranking
Macquarie University has moved up the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) for the fifth consecutive year. Compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the ARWU ranks more than 1000 universities worldwide based upon a number of indicators including their number of highly cited researchers and the number of articles published in journals Nature and Science. Macquarie was officially placed in the 200-300 band worldwide, equal 8-9th with the University of Adelaide.
Data centre to open in 2012
Macquarie Telecom has announced that construction is progressing well on its new world-class data centre at North Ryde, a $60 million investment that will create up to 100 jobs over five years. The new data centre, called Intellicentre 2, is scheduled to open in early 2012. The investment was secured for NSW with support from NSW Trade and Investment. The data centre will create 50 jobs in its first year rising to almost 100 jobs within five years. Macquarie Telecom already operates a data centre in Sydney's CBD but is establishing this second centre at North Ryde to cater for continued growth in data hosting and managed enterprise cloud computing services.
Solar cell production
Silex Solar, at Sydney Olympic Park, the only Australian company, which manufactures solar cells, is closing this part of its operations, with the loss of 30 jobs. The company will continue to make solar PV panels, using imported components. “I would like to make it clear that the changes made are to secure Silex Solar’s long-term future and to remain a key player in the Australian PV panel market,” said CEO, Craig Menzies.
Parramatta Property sold for $4.1 million
Mo Ko Enterprises has paid Henry Wong and James Chiu $4.1 million for a two-storey mixed-use property on the south-east corner of Church and George streets, in the Parramatta CBD. Tenants include Tax Tips, Vodafone, Glamour Hair and 7-Eleven. Anthony Khoury and George Khoury, from Khoury & Partners, negotiated the deal.
Marketing campaign
Companies in the Erskine Park business park are being asked to nominate others they would like to see there as part of the Penrith Business Alliance's (PBA) marketing campaign to attract more jobs to the area. PBA chief executive, Bijai Kumar, said the campaign tied in with the imminent start of the Erskine Park link road, which will make the park more attractive for businesses looking to move. An RTA spokesman said preliminary work, including the establishment of a site office, was due to be carried out in September.
Leighton selected for freight line
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has selected Leighton Holdings to deliver the final stage of the Southern Sydney Freight Line (SSFL), worth $150 million. The SSFL will provide a 36-kilometre dedicated freight line between Macarthur and Sefton, allowing passenger and freight services to operate independently. Construction is expected to start in October and completion is scheduled for late 2012.
New body to create awareness
Over 60 “enthusiastic” key industry members and government representatives, who met in Bankstown have agreed that an organisation, such as, the Sydney Aerospace and Defence Interest Group (SADIG) was needed to provide better awareness of key supply chains and collaboration in tackling key issues, and supported by an industry database. An executive committee will be announced shortly and a SADIG website will be launched coinciding with the announcement.