Urban and strategic planning for industrial land in Greater Sydney must prioritise trucking and freight operations. 

Today releasing the Road Freight NSW and Australian Trucking Association joint submission to the Greater Sydney Commission’s review of industrial lands policy, RFNSW CEO Simon O’Hara said trucking and freight are critical to Sydney’s economy and keeping shops and consumers supplied.  

“The Greater Sydney Commission must maintain the ‘retain and manage’ approach to industrial and urban services land and ensure freight and trucking operations are protected from competing uses,” Mr O’Hara said. 

“Proposals to allow more flexible uses into industrial land, including housing, will just force freight out and result in higher costs and increased congestion,” he said. 

The submission also calls for the Greater Sydney Commission to plan for trucking and ensure the industrial lands policy align with the National Urban Freight Planning Principles. 

“Trucking is critical to making successful cities and needs to be part of the planning conversation,” ATA Transport and Infrastructure Adviser Sam Marks said. 

“Planning for industrial and logistics areas need to plan for truck access, urban rest areas and parking and decoupling sites,” he said. 

The review of industrial lands policy responds to a recommendation of the NSW Productivity Commission to evaluate the retain and manage approach to industrial and urban services land in Sydney.  

“The campaign for removing planning protection of industrial and freight land is based on a misplaced understanding of the economic value that trucking and freight bring to Sydney,” Mr O’Hara said. 

“Trucking is critical to our city and should continue to be protected,” he said.  

Read the submission