Part A
Multi-User Pathway Strategy
1.
Introduction
The Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust is a statutory authority
established by the NSW Government in 1989 to accelerate the provision of
flood mitigation works and measures, improve water quality and undertake
associated activities, in the upper Parramatta River catchment area.
The catchment area is shown in Figure 1.1. It is bounded by Prospect
Reservoir, Blacktown, Castle Hill and Carlingford and includes parts of:
◦ Blacktown Council
◦ Holroyd Council
◦ Parramatta Council
◦ Baulkham Hills Council
It covers approximately 70 km of rivers, creeks and other tributaries over an
area of 110 km2, with a population of more than 230,000.
The multi use recreational pathway project is a key initiative under the
Trust’s 99/00 performance targets, viz:
Develop an agreed and coordinated network of creek bank pathways
and cycleways throughout the catchment and initiate construction of
key missing links.
The catchment includes an extensive network of pathways. Much of the
focus of the multi use pathway project is thus to identify missing links and the
associated constraints and opportunities for their implementation. Some
examples of such missing links include:
◦ Links through Cumberland Hospital
◦ Link to Blacktown, Castle Hill, Parramatta and Merrylands CBDs
◦ Link to lower Parramatta River catchment
◦ Links to regional cycleways and other multi use pathways
◦ Links through to Holroyd
◦ Links through and near significant bushland areas
1.1.
Study Aims
The study brief identifies three project objectives. In summary these are:
◦ Identify and map preferred pathway routes
◦ Identify gaps in the network
◦ Provide options for routes, pathways materials, engineering solutions
1.2.
Corporate Objectives and the Multi Use Recreational Pathway Project
The Trust operates under the following key corporate objectives:
◦ Solve existing flooding problems
◦ Maintain flood protection
◦ Improve water quality
◦ Improve riparian vegetation and recreation
 Jamieson Foley Traffic & Transport
Figure 1.1
Upper Parramatta River Catchment
 Jamieson Foley Traffic & Transport
◦ Better catchment coordination and planning
◦ Enhance organisational capability
1.3.
Green Corridors Vegetation
The upper Parramatta River catchment includes some 700ha of remnant
bushland, which are all of significant conservation value, particularly those
identified as threatened communities.
The management of these environmentally significant bushland areas is
therefore a key issue associated with the multi use pathway project. Specific
concerns include:
Hunts Creek Wildlife Sanctuary
◦ Increased access and visitation to environmentally significant areas
◦ Inappropriate recreation
◦ Effects on drainage systems
◦ Increased potential for run-off from pathway surfaces
◦ Fragmentation of some smaller bushland remnants
Grantham Creek, Grantham Rd
1.4.
The Green Corridors Vegetation Management Strategy prepared for the
Trust in 1998 provides further information on these issues, and thus forms
an important input into the multi use pathways project.
Steering Committee
The multi use pathways project was initiated by the Green Corridors
Vegetation Management Steering Committee, who established a
subcommittee for the project, including representatives of the following
organisations:
◦ The Trust
◦ RTA
◦ The four Councils
◦ Premiers Department
1.5.
Benefits of Multi Use Pathways
The multi use pathway concept plan would deliver substantial benefits to
both the local and regional communities, including.
◦ Much of the multi use pathway network will be off road and would be
used by recreational users extensively.
◦ The concept plan provides increased accessibility to parks, clubs,
sport facilities and shopping centres.
◦ Some of the local trips can be made using bicycles. It would reduce
local and regional vehicular traffic.
◦ The catchment is linked with regional routes and can be considered as
a regional recreational and commuter network.
◦ The concept plan provides improvements to local cycle/walking
networks.
 Jamieson Foley Traffic & Transport