New, green life will be breathed into Greater Sydney with more than 40,000 trees to be planted and a series of innovation projects delivered thanks to $10 million in NSW Government grants.
The Greening Our City program will provide grants to 30 councils and two partner organisations across two funding streams - Cooler Suburbs and Green Innovations.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the program would help reach her target to plant one million trees across Greater Sydney by 2022 and increase the proportion of homes in urban areas within 10 minutes' walk of quality green, open and public space by 10% by 2023.
"This fantastic program will result in more than 40,000 trees being planted in the ground and will also see exciting innovation projects that protect native species and help to green urban spaces," Ms Berejiklian said.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said planting more trees would bring enormous environmental benefit while making public spaces more attractive.
"Our city is framed by parks - we know how valuable tree cover is for lowering heat, providing shade and enhancing our neighbourhoods," Mr Stokes said.
"This program will see trees planted in more developed areas like Miranda and Parramatta and in growing areas like Camden, Blacktown, Campbelltown and Hawkesbury."
Local Government NSW President Linda Scott welcomed the announcement and said the program was a great example of partnership between local and state government.
"Councils take a lead role cultivating healthy and sustainable environments for local communities and funding support is always welcome," Cr Scott said.
Under the Cooler Suburbs stream, 29 local councils will receive more than $8 million in funding, supporting 39 tree planting projects that will add more than 40,000 trees to Greater Sydney.
The 12 projects to receive funding in the Green Innovations stream include:
- Planting 500 genetically diverse Camden White Gum within the Nepean River corridor at Camden South, a species listed as vulnerable
- Transformation of a Penrith carpark into an open, green space
- Revegetation of native trees and grasses across Randwick
- A new state-of-the-art research facility and demonstration site testing the growth and performance of 48 diverse native and exotic tree species in the Hawkesbury.
The grant program is being administered by Local Government NSW on behalf of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
