AusLeisure

Over a year after the NSW Government signed over land for the planned Wet'n'Wild Sydney waterpark, the developers are still waiting for approval to begin construction.
Since the change of Government in NSW, the NSW Coalition has altered its major planning laws to remove the potential for ministerial interference.
However, the changes have led to a delay in the final planning approval for the $140 million attraction. As a result, local newspaper the Blacktown Advocate has reported a Village Roadshow spokesperson as saying that that if the Group doesn't receive approval before Christmas, deemed as necessary to open the completed waterpark by September 2013, they may reconsider the whole project.
Blacktown City Council supports the project, which will create 300 jobs at the park as well as construction jobs, but has raised objections to road upgrades near the park's entrance.
Village pledged $5.2 million towards upgrading the state roads and recently agreed to an extra $2 million for Blacktown Council to upgrade local roads.
Mayor Alan Pendleton told the Blacktown Advocate that the council was now fully behind the approval and had raised the lag in approval time with NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard.
Mayor Pendleton explained "we are happy for the development to proceed. There'll be jobs in construction and when it opens, so it's a win-win.
"More important it gives us a water park so we don't have to go to the beach. "
Project Director Chris Warhurst said tenders for construction had begun and while he was mindful approval of a project this large required due process, he needed to the go-ahead so construction could begin midway through 2012.
The NSW Planning Department said it had taken time to resolve the road issue with Blacktown Council and once its assessment report was finished the project would be determined under delegation.
Village Roadshow's plans are for the waterpark to be built on a 25 hectare site in Prospect, close to Sydney's M4 and M7 motorways. Village predict the waterpark will attract up to 900,000 visits each year.

http://www.wetnwildsydney.com.au

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