Parramatta’s World-Class Urban Renewal Project, Melrose Park

Parramatta City Council is installing 70 environmental sensors to measure the health and well being of Melrose Park, a brand new Smart Cities and Suburbs project.

Previously home to the Ermington Putt-Putt golf course in the Parramatta council area, the 25-hectare brownfield site will soon welcome roughly 5,000 new residential dwellings over the next ten years. To ensure the health and safety and viability of the development, environmental sensors installed throughout the construction site and surrounding residential streets will monitor temperature, humidity, air quality, noise and stormwater. There’s even a buoy in the Parramatta River at Ermington Bay for monitoring water quality.

The AUD$1.142 million project, delivered in partnership with property developer PAYCE and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), also received a $571,000 grant from the Australian Government as part of the Smart Cities and Suburbs Program.

Described as “an extremely interesting test case,” Senior Research Consultant at UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures’ and TULIP Program Manager, Andrew Tovey said this project “has the potential to revolutionise the way we do planning and architecture across the city, and across the country.”

“It could well be a game-changer for smarter planning, leading to more liveable and climate-adapted neighbourhoods across Parramatta LGA.”

Using the latest technology, Melrose Park will be a shining beacon for future Climate Responsive Neighbourhoods. Capturing, analysing and visualising the local environmental data for the future residential and retail space, all information acquired will be available for both the public and developers.

The hyper-localised data can then be translated into future projects to deliver comprehensive information regarding microclimates in Sydney neighbourhoods, and beyond. Supported by real-time continuous distributed localised data, the project’s goal is to improve our city’s livability and sustainability.

When first announced in 2018, then Lord Mayor Cr Andrew Wilson said the project “will capture a baseline before works begin, and will continue monitoring throughout to assess how effective Council’s protective building measures are.”

“The data from this smart climate project will help the Council develop smarter approaches to planning and development across our vibrant City of Parramatta.”

As a joint-venture between Sekisui House Australia and Payce, the highly-connected Melrose Park development is also a new significant precinct to achieving the 30-minute city status. Meaning everything from crucial employment areas, education and other vital services, including recreational and community facilities, are all within 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait another decade or so before anyone can access Melrose Park, a world-class Urban Renewal project.