The Pulse | 28 October 2026

Declared, Rezoned and Energised: NSW Lines Up Homes, Rail and Power for Delivery

This week's reporting followed NSW planning decisions at three points on the pathway, from state significant declarations through a precinct rezoning to determinations on individual schemes. 

The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces announced 11 further housing proposals declared State Significant Development on the Housing Delivery Authority's advice, with capacity for more than 4,000 homes, under an Order signed on 22 October 2026 [8, 9]; the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure finalised the controls for the former Macquarie Coal Complex near Lake Macquarie, covering about 500 hectares of developable land [11]; Holdmark secured approval for a $341 million, 482-unit village at Caddens [6]; and the Department approved a $120 million second stage of The Works at Corrimal with 207 apartments [4].

On delivery, the coverage centred on infrastructure moving into service and the finance and ratings attached to it. The NSW Government confirmed Southwest Metro passenger services from 4:31am on Friday 30 October 2026, completing a 66 kilometre line [1]; it also set out a $6.8 billion South Coast Rail Plan that a re-elected Labor Government would deliver, with $621 million of preparatory works already in progress [5]; and Squadron Energy energised the substation for its 414 MW Uungula wind farm [3]. On the market side, AirTrunk arranged a $4.25 billion green loan for its SYD3 campus in Western Sydney [10], the UNSW Health Translation Hub became the first NSW building rated 6 Stars under Green Star Buildings [2], and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council marked the opening of Western Sydney International by listing its IS-rated project packages [7].

A Lake Macquarie Mine Precinct Is Rezoned as Caddens and Corrimal Clear Approval

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has finalised the Master Plan and the rezoning for the Macquarie Coal Complex Land Transformation Precinct at Lake Macquarie, progressed under the State Significant Rezoning Policy after an exhibition from 14 July to 11 August 2026 that drew 148 submissions [11]. According to the Department, the new controls sit in State Environmental Planning Policy (Precincts-Regional) 2021 and State Environmental Planning Policy (Planning Systems) 2021, with amendments to the Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan 2014 [11]. Its figures put the outcome at roughly 500 hectares of developable land, about 1,130 jobs, 22 hectares of residential land and around 36 hectares of new open space, and the Department records that it is to assess all development applications in the precinct [11]. This newsletter reported in its edition of 22 October 2026 that the NSW Government had named former Glencore mine land at Teralba, which it tied to this rezoning, as the preferred site for its train manufacturing plant.

The Urban Developer reported that Holdmark has won approval, with minor amendments, for a village of 17 buildings at Caddens in western Sydney, which the publication values at about $341 million and 600 construction jobs [6]. The 8.1 hectare holding at 68-80 O'Connell Street adjoins the Kingswood campus of Western Sydney University and lies roughly 13 kilometres from Western Sydney International Airport [6]. According to the report, 482 apartments are to be spread over 16 blocks of five to seven storeys, with 79 of them, or 15 per cent, reserved as affordable housing, six more than at exhibition [6]. The mix is 87 one-bedroom, 317 two-bedroom and 78 three-bedroom units, and a single-storey building holding two shops, a gym and a medical centre takes the scheme's commercial floor space to 3,157 square metres [6].

Delivery is planned in three stages, The Urban Developer notes, with the existing Caddens Corner shopping centre kept and its car park demolished, and three shared basements, each two to four levels deep, providing 782 residential and 750 shopper spaces [6]. The publication records that Holdmark used a 4.5 metre height bonus linked to the 15 per cent affordable component, that the state planning department accepted height exceedances on two buildings, and that the developer has committed to roundabouts where Corr Road and Starline Drive meet O'Connell Street [6]. Group GSA designed the brown brick and green metal-clad facades, which the report says draw on the Cumberland Plain Woodland [6].

In the Illawarra, the Southern Highland News reported that the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure approved Stage 2A of The Works, the redevelopment of the former Corrimal cokeworks, after the stage was declared State Significant Development [4]. The $120 million stage comprises four residential flat buildings with 207 apartments, 57 of them affordable, and was credited with 350 construction jobs and 10 ongoing roles [4]. It follows a 179-apartment first stage already under construction [4]. The Department found the building height, which peaks at 21.7 metres, "appropriate and consistent with the emerging character of the Corrimal Coke Works precinct", according to the report, which adds that developer Legacy plans to use State height bonuses and that the determination cites an overall precinct target of 850 dwellings against 550 in the master plan [4].

Declared sites: State Significant Development Declaration Order (No 12) 2026

The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces announced on 27 October 2026 that 11 more housing proposals, 10 in metropolitan Sydney and one in regional NSW, had been declared State Significant Development on the Housing Delivery Authority's recommendation, with capacity for over 4,000 homes including affordable housing, if each project is lodged and approved [9]. The statement puts the Authority's pipeline at 509 declared proposals and more than 158,000 potential homes: 26 approved for over 4,722 homes, work started on 11 sites, applications in for 95 more and 32 declarations revoked [9]. The Minister signed the Order on 22 October 2026 under section 4.36(3) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, and it takes effect on publication on the NSW planning portal [8]. This newsletter reported 499 declared proposals in its edition of 1 October 2026.

Southwest Metro Opening Is Confirmed as a $6.8 Billion South Coast Rail Plan Is Set Out

The NSW Government confirmed on 22 October 2026 that passenger services on the Southwest Metro begin at 4:31am on Friday 30 October, running from Bankstown via the CBD to the northwest on one 66 kilometre line [1]. The release records that the date followed final safety approval from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, and that converting the former T3 Bankstown Line took some 30,000 kilometres of testing, over 6,000 timetabled test runs and more than two years of work [1]. It lists platform screen doors, new lifts and upgraded customer information and security systems along the corridor, with Canterbury, Punchbowl, Hurlstone Park, Dulwich Hill and Wiley Park stations gaining lift access for the first time [1].

The release sets a four-minute frequency in weekday peaks, five minutes through the day and ten minutes in evenings and at weekends, which it says lifts capacity by 50 per cent over the T3 line, and it projects around 48,000 trips across the metro in the weekday 8am to 9am peak [1]. Among the listed journey times are 28 minutes from Bankstown to Central and 31 minutes from Canterbury to Chatswood [1]. Sydney Metro Chief Executive Camilla Drover said "Transforming this historic railway into a modern metro has been an extraordinary feat of engineering, delivery and, above all, teamwork" [1].

In a release of 26 October 2026, the NSW Government set out a $6.8 billion South Coast Rail Plan that, in its words, "a re-elected Minns Labor Government" would deliver: electrification from Kiama to Bomaderry, added tracks and passing loops between Wollongong and Kiama, and four tracks in place of two between Hurstville and Sutherland to separate passenger and freight trains [5]. The release states that $621 million of works is already in progress ahead of electrification and duplication, including power and signalling renewal, drainage and track raising against flooding, and slope stabilisation between Waterfall and Wollongong [5]. It places detailed planning from 2027 and the completion of construction in the mid to late 2030s [5]. Minister for Transport John Graham said "If we don't duplicate key sections of track, there's no way to increase the capacity that this growing community will need" [5].

On energy, RenewEconomy reported that Squadron Energy has completed and energised the 330/33kV substation for its 414 MW Uungula wind farm near Wellington in the Central West, ready to link the project to the network through 28 new towers and nearly 12 kilometres of 330kV line [3]. The publication describes Uungula, registered to the grid two weeks earlier, as the first NSW wind farm to connect in two and a half years [3]. Squadron project director Sanjay Goel said the milestone "allows us to begin turbine testing and commissioning as we move closer to generating renewable energy for more than 220,000 homes" [3]. Squadron puts construction at two-thirds complete, and the report names Lumea as the energy infrastructure supplier on the connection works [3].

A $4.25 Billion Green Loan Backs SYD3 as UNSW's Hub Earns a NSW First

Techpartner.news reported that AirTrunk has arranged a $4.25 billion green loan from 32 Australian and international lenders to fund further construction at SYD3, its hyperscale campus in Western Sydney, with margins that move according to sustainability performance [10]. Construction is under way with A W Edwards as builder, and the publication puts completion at mid-2028, with over 10,000 jobs supported across engineering, logistics, safety, construction and the trades [10]. The report lists lower-carbon steel and concrete among the construction measures, alongside a goal of keeping 90 per cent or more of non-hazardous building waste out of landfill, and describes a 25,000 square metre buffer area in Western Sydney for staging and pre-commissioning equipment, with dedicated time-charter vessels serving Port Botany and Port Kembla [10].

According to the report, the facility lifts AirTrunk's committed debt financing to about $38.4 billion worldwide, of which more than $19.8 billion relates to Australian projects, and the company states it has put over $12 billion into Australia so far, with a further $75 billion planned across the next decade [10]. Tom Mackellar, AirTrunk's vice president of origination and market expansion, said the campus is "building a regional ecosystem through active hiring, sustained project activity and strategic supply chain partnerships" [10].

UNSW Sydney announced that the UNSW Health Translation Hub, developed with Plenary, has been rated 6 Stars, the top level, in the Green Star Buildings scheme run by the Green Building Council of Australia, the first NSW building to reach it [2]. The 35,600 square metre facility in the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct was built by Hansen Yuncken to a design led by Architectus with ASPECT Studios and Yerrabingin, and opened in November 2025 [2]. The university describes an all-electric building drawing on 100 per cent renewable electricity, with a 100 kilowatt rooftop solar array, rainwater harvesting, a facade that cuts incoming solar radiation by about 60 per cent and an HVAC system using only outside air [2]. Plenary CEO Paul Crowe said the building "sets a new benchmark for sustainable health and education infrastructure" [2].

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council marked the start of operations at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport by pointing to IS ratings across several project packages, naming the Airside Civil and Pavement Works, the Landside Civil and Buildings Works and the Stage 1 Cargo Works [7]. The council cites lower-carbon asphalt as one means of reducing embodied carbon while meeting the performance standards of an aviation asset, and it records employment, training and procurement pathways developed with Aboriginal stakeholders [7]. The council's acting chief executive, Deb Spring, said "The IS Ratings achieved across multiple project packages demonstrate a commitment to excellence and show that sustainability and productivity go hand in hand" [7]. The council adds that several of the airport's packages are finalists in its 2026 awards [7].

Final Thoughts

Two patterns run through the week's coverage. The first is the planning system acting at several stages in the same week. The Order behind the latest declarations [8, 9], the finalised controls for the Macquarie precinct [11] and the determinations for 482 apartments at Caddens and 207 at Corrimal [4, 6] spanned a statutory declaration, a rezoning of former mine land and two consents, with affordable housing attached to the declared proposals and to both approved schemes. The composition of that reporting was consistent with the state pathway moving projects from declaration through rezoning to consent, rather than holding them at a single stage.

The second is delivery reported alongside the finance and ratings that accompany it. The Southwest Metro start date [1] and the substation energisation at Uungula [3] marked assets moving toward operation, while the South Coast commitment set out $621 million of works already in progress ahead of a longer program [5]. On finance and specification, the SYD3 loan was tied to sustainability margins and lower-carbon materials [10], the Randwick hub received the State's first 6 Star Green Star Buildings rating [2], and the airport's packages were recognised under the IS scheme [7]. The pattern of reporting was consistent with sustainability measures being written into finance terms and recognised at completion across the projects reported.

1.  NSW Government, The Premier and Minister for Transport (22 October 2026). Southwest Metro to open Friday 30 October 2026. https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/southwest-metro-to-open-friday-30-october-2026 

2.  UNSW Sydney Newsroom (22 October 2026). UNSW Health Translation Hub achieves highest sustainability rating. https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/10/unsw-health-translation-hub-achieves-highest-sustainability-rating 

3.  RenewEconomy | by Sophie Vorrath (23 October 2026). First new NSW wind farm in years completes construction and energisation of "beating heart" substation. https://reneweconomy.com.au/first-new-nsw-wind-farm-in-years-completes-construction-and-energisation-of-beating-heart-substation/ 

4.  Southern Highland News | by Glen Humphries (23 October 2026). Another 200 apartments are coming to Corrimal after Planning Dept approval. https://www.southernhighlandnews.com.au/story/9373096/another-200-apartments-are-coming-to-corrimal-after-planning-dept-approval/

5.  NSW Government, The Premier and Ministers (joint release) (26 October 2026). South Coast rail line to be electrified and duplicated in the largest investment in rail infrastructure in generations. https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/south-coast-rail-line-to-be-electrified-and-duplicated-largest-investment-rail-infrastructure-generations  

6.  The Urban Developer | by Harrison Caithness (26 October 2026). Holdmark Wins Approval for $341m Western Sydney Village. https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/holdmark-wins-caddens-estate-development-nsw-western-sydney 

7.  Infrastructure Sustainability Council (27 October 2026). Western Sydney International Airport Demonstrates the Value of IS Rated Infrastructure. https://iscouncil.org/western-sydney-international-airport-demonstrates-the-value-of-is-rated-infrastructure/  
   

8.  NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (27 October 2026). State Significant Development Declaration Order (No 12) 2026. https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/the-planning-system/ministerial-orders 

9.  Paul Scully MP, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces (27 October 2026). More than 4,000 homes declared State Significant. https://paulscullymp.com.au/news/media-releases/more-than-4-000-homes-declared-state-significant/ 

10.  Techpartner.news | Staff Writer (27 October 2026). AirTrunk secures A$4.25b green loan for Western Sydney data centre expansion. https://www.techpartner.news/news/airtrunk-secures-a425b-green-loan-for-western-sydney-data-centre-expansion-629923 

11.  NSW Planning Portal, Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (finalisation notice undated; viewed 28 October 2026). Macquarie Coal Complex Land Transformation Precinct. https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/ppr/finalisation/macquarie-coal-complex-land-transformation-precinct  

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