Glen Innes Severn Council has formally written to the NSW Minister for Transport and lodged its submission to Transport for NSW as part of the consultation for the New England & North West Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan (SRITP).
Mayor Margot Davis said Council’s message to the State Government is clear: transport is not just about roads and rails, it is a social determinant of health, education, jobs and liveability in rural communities.
“The SRITP is an opportunity to get the fundamentals right, safer roads, better connectivity, practical community transport and freight access that supports our agribusiness, mining supply chains and the New England Renewable Energy Zone,” Cr Davis said.
Council’s submission advocates for:
- A “fix it first” approach to road safety, maintenance and resilience across key regional and school bus routes.
- Fit-for-purpose community and on-demand transport models that connect people to health, education and employment in low-density areas.
- Freight connectivity that aligns with regional industry and cross-border trade with Queensland.
- Active transport and town centre access that strengthens main streets and supports tourism.
- Transport settings that actively enable population growth by improving access to housing, jobs and essential services.
- A genuinely place-based approach that supports, rather than overrides, local strategies already developed by councils and communities.
Mayor Davis said Council has also made it clear that future transport infrastructure must do more than simply respond to existing demand.
“In regional communities, we cannot plan infrastructure just to satisfy current usage patterns,” she said.
“Future transport investment must be an enabler of growth, unlocking housing, strengthening industry, supporting population growth targets and positioning our region for long-term economic integration.”
One issue requiring a definitive State Government position is the future of the non-operational Great Northern Railway north of Armidale.
“We cannot plan in a vacuum for the next 20 years. The State Government needs to put a clear stake in the ground about whether there is any intention to reinstate rail services along the Great Northern Railway corridor within the life of its strategic planning horizon,” she said. - Council has requested that the SRITP clearly articulate:
- Whether the corridor will be preserved for a long-term strategic rail need; and
- How appropriate interim uses, such as rail trail activation, can proceed without prejudicing any future transport case.
“This is about certainty. Communities need clarity so they can plan responsibly for the medium and long-term use of the Great Northern Railway Line. Without a clear State position, councils and communities are left navigating uncertainty that affects investment, land use planning and strategic development,” Cr Davis said.
“The conversation and consultation with our community around the New England Rail Trail is fundamentally different depending on the State’s intent. If the Government has zero intention of reinstating trains over the next 20 years, that creates one planning context. If it determines that rail services will be reinstated within the next five years, that creates a very different one.” - “A definitive position in the SRITP enables communities to plan with confidence, rather than speculate,” she said.
- Council confirmed it will continue to deliver the survey and planning work as resolved by the previous Council to meet the NSW Rail Trail Framework. This ensures any future funding application is compliant with that framework.
- Council has spent approximately $40,000 to date of the $170,000 allocated in the previous Council term/put the year in on progressing the design, including survey works on the bridge structures, the commencement of designs for the smaller structures, and the commencement of preliminary work associated with the review of environmental factors.
- Mayor Davis confirmed that Council stands ready to work constructively with Transport for NSW to translate the regional plan into funded, staged projects that improve liveability across the New England North West.
- Community members are reminded that consultation on the SRITP remains open, and residents, businesses and stakeholders are encouraged to lodge a submission with Transport for NSW to ensure local priorities are clearly heard.
- “Transport shapes whether people can access jobs, health care and opportunity,” Cr Davis said.
- “In rural NSW, it is foundational infrastructure. We are advocating strongly and constructively for the clarity and investment our community deserves.”
Media Release: Glen Innes Severn Council
