Client: Greater Sydney Parklands Trust
Location: Western Sydney
Date: 2022 – 2025
Services provided
- Aboriginal Due Diligence Assessment (ADDA)
- Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (ACHA)
- Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP)
- Statement of Heritage Impact (SoHI)
- Historical Archaeology Assessment (HAA)
- Permit Application – Section 60 works
Background
Biosis was commissioned by Capital Insight on behalf of Greater Sydney Parklands Trust to support the design and construction of the Mirror Dam Cycleway located in the Cecil Park Precinct of Western Sydney Parklands due to open in 2026. The project involves the construction of a cycleway meandering through the parklands to connect the Westlink M7 Motorway to the M12 Motorway.
It will deliver a 2.3 kilometre pedestrian and cycle path, connecting Cecil Park and Cecil Hills. The new path will create access to Western Sydney Parklands, a link for cyclists, walkers, and runners between the M7 Motorway and M12 Motorway, and access to popular destinations within the Parklands, including the Wylde Mountain Bike (MTB) and BMX tracks, Gabrugal Yana and future recreational spaces around the Liverpool Reservoir.
The site had some heritage constraints to consider when developing the design of the cycleway. They included an Aboriginal cultural heritage site registered on the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) and a State Heritage listed item.
Outcomes
Working alongside Registered Aboriginal Parties, Biosis completed archaeological surveys of the area for an Aboriginal Due Diligence Assessment (ADDA), stating that an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (ACHA) was required if the Aboriginal cultural heritage site could not be avoided during the proposed works.
The ACHA aimed to address impacts to the known Aboriginal cultural heritage site and included a program of test excavations to further assess the archaeological significance of the site.
Additionally, for this site, Biosis prepared a Statement of Heritage Impact (SoHI) as the proposed cycleway intersected a State heritage listed item, the Upper Canal System, which was built in the 1880s and is still in use. The SoHI also included an archaeological assessment and an assessment of the impacts of the proposed cycleway on the heritage item. The SoHI was prepared, particularly in consideration of the Cecil Hills Tunnel portion of the asset, where the cycleway was to overlap.
Biosis successfully secured a Section 60 for the client prior to works proceeding. As the Upper Canal System is currently being used for water distribution in Western Sydney, the Section 60 was critical to ensure the proposed works wouldn’t impact the upper canal which is still operating as a gravity-fed water system.
Biosis heritage consultants included a recommendation in their report and permit application that the work could move forward, ensuring minimal damage to Aboriginal and historical heritage, facilitating timely approvals, with no requests for further information.
