The Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) has been finalised. The NSW Government approved it in August 2022; the Australian Government approved it in March 2024.
The CPCP protects large areas of regionally important habitat while making urban growth and development possible. This includes providing the necessary biodiversity approvals to support the delivery of about 73,000 homes planned for the Western Parkland City.
Improvements to the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan
The NSW Government has announced a series of actions to improve the CPCP’s biodiversity outcomes. This will ensure we get the balance right between providing more housing and protecting western Sydney’s unique biodiversity.
We have committed over $100 million to deliver the CPCP improvements. This includes fast-tracking existing actions such as creating a new national park in the Gulguer area. The improvements will strengthen the existing planning controls under the CPCP to ensure we protect koalas in south-western Sydney.
For more information on what we have done to improve the CPCP:
- CPCP enhancements frequently asked questions (PDF, 82 KB)
- CPCP enhancements infographic (PDF, 4.1 MB).
Final CPCP package
Final CPCP package and associated documents can be viewed on our NSW Planning Portal.
Fact sheets and supporting documents include:
- Key terms for strategic conservation planning glossary (PDF, 182 KB)
- CPCP Snapshot (PDF, 761 KB)
- Protecting koalas on the Cumberland Plain (PDF, 248 KB)
- New expert advice on koala corridor (PDF, 156 KB)
- Terms of Reference for the Strategic Impact Assessment Report for the CPCP (PDF, 49 KB).
What we heard
We heard and considered feedback received on the draft CPCP and exhibited documents. We have updated the CPCP in response to community feedback and advice from the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer.
The draft CPCP was exhibited from 26 August to 2 November 2020. All exhibited documents and submissions received can be viewed on the NSW Planning Portal.
We received over 500 individual submissions from a range of stakeholders including community, landholders and developers, environment groups, industry, local councils, Local Aboriginal Land Councils and other Aboriginal groups.
Key changes made in response to feedback include:
- Planning controls replace the proposed conservation zoning of avoided land
- Mapping of watercourses and riparian zones was updated to include small watercourses in the certified-urban capable land where no native vegetation is present
- Mapping of vegetation and land categories was updated
For more information, read our What we heard report (PDF, 6.3 MB) outlining key themes and issues raised and how we have updated the CPCP to address feedback.
Visit CPCP mapping to view the final mapping using our spatial viewer.
Have a question about the CPCP or want to provide feedback?
- Email the team at [email protected] or phone 02 9585 6060.
- For translating and interpreting services, phone 13 14 50 and ask for an interpreter in your language to connect you to 02 9585 6060. When connected ask to speak to the Cumberland Plain Conservation team.
- Use the survey to provide feedback on the CPCP.
Frequently asked questions
The CPCP’s commitments and actions will be delivered to 2056. This aligns with implementation of the Greater Sydney Region Plan: A Metropolis of Three Cities and the Future Transport Strategy 2056.
The CPCP covers an area of around 200,000 hectares in Western Sydney and spans across eight local government areas: Wollondilly; Camden; Campbelltown; Liverpool; Fairfield; Penrith; Blacktown and Hawkesbury.
Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan study area map
The map above shows the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan study area, representing around 200,000 hectares of Western Sydney. This includes outlines of Local Government Areas, Transport Corridors, Growth Areas and Parks and Green Space.
Western Sydney is an important area for many threatened and iconic species such as the koala, Nodding Geebung and Cumberland Plain Land Snail. The CPCP’s vision is to ‘support Western Sydney’s biodiversity and growth’. This means it will support the planned and strategic delivery of housing, infrastructure and jobs for Western Sydney while protecting and maintaining important biodiversity areas.
The CPCP has commitments and actions that will deliver the social, environmental and economic outcomes of the plan. These include commitments and actions to conserve flora, fauna and associated habitat, avoid and minimise impacts from development and manage landscape threats.
The CPCP is committed to delivering new conservation lands to offset impacts to threatened plants and animals from development, which include new reserves, additions to existing reserves, and biodiversity stewardship sites. Securing land with healthy native vegetation, connectivity or potential for ecological restoration will help protect Western Sydney’s plants and animals in the future.
The CPCP also includes other actions to manage pest animals and weeds, implementing a fire management strategy, undertaking threatened species research and implementing a compliance program to deal with illegal clearing of native vegetation.
South Western Sydney has the largest koala population in the Sydney metropolitan area and is home to one of the healthiest koala populations in NSW. The NSW Government recognises the importance of koalas in the region, especially to the local community in Western Sydney.
The CPCP includes specific commitments and actions to protect the Southern Sydney koala population by addressing the impacts and potential risks to koalas from future development in the Wilton and Greater Macarthur growth areas. These commitments and actions were developed based on advice from the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer (2020 and 2021) and the NSW Koala Strategy (2018).
The CPCP commits to establishing the Georges River Koala Reserve east of Appin Road from Appin through to Long Point. This reserve will protect existing koala habitat and enhance the connectivity of fragmented patches of koala habitat through restoration.
In the early years of the CPCP, funding has been committed to installing koala exclusion fencing between koala habitat and the urban interface, including new residential areas, motorways and state roads. Through the CPCP the department will invest in the NSW Koala Strategy to research, monitor and support koala health and welfare in partnership with the local community.
The CPCP has been prepared to meet biodiversity approvals under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in four nominated areas for urban development in the Western Parkland City:
- Western Sydney Aerotropolis
- Greater Penrith to Eastern Creek Investigation Area
- Greater Macarthur Growth Area
- Wilton Growth Area
The CPCP will also provide biodiversity approvals for four major transport corridors in the Western Parkland City, planned to respond to the needs of Western Sydney over the next 39 years and identified in Future Transport Strategy 2056. These include the:
- potential future extension of Sydney Metro Greater West, south from Western Sydney Aerotropolis to Macarthur (except for the section in the South West Growth Area)
- the Western Sydney Freight Line
- Outer Sydney Orbital, between Box Hill and the Hume Motorway near Menangle
- M7/Ropes Crossing Link Road.
These four corridors are included in the CPCP for approval under the strategic assessment (EPBC Act). However only the sections of corridors within the nominated areas (excluding the tunnels sections) are included in the strategic biodiversity certification (BC Act).
The full cost of the CPCP conservation program will be funded by contributions collected through the strategic biodiversity component of the Housing and Productivity Contribution.
More information on the biodiversity contributions for the CPCP, including rates and the applicable area and development types, can be found at Cumberland Plain Contributions.