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  4. Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Wilton Wollondilly Shire Council

Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Wilton, Wollondilly Shire Council

A fast-growing town on the outskirts of Sydney is demonstrating that urbanization of greenfield areas need not be chaotic, strained, and unsustainable – and that it can accommodate the needs and wishes of existing and new residents. We worked with the local authority in Wollondilly Shire, to develop a strategy for urban development that makes sure that, as Wilton’s population expands, the health and wellbeing of its residents remains the central focus. Our proposals will prioritize social infrastructure, better transport connections, and stable and affordable housing, while maintaining connections with the town’s traditional farming roots through green space, healthy food, and biodiversity. 

We have a longstanding relationship with Wollondilly Shire Council, located on the predominantly rural south-western fringe of Sydney. The population there is expected to grow significantly over the coming years. By 2040, one of its towns, Wilton, will have 50,000 residents, compared with its current 5,000. We were appointed to prepare a strategy for this expansion by the Wollondilly Health Alliance, a partnership between the local council, the Local Health District and the Primary Health Network in South Western Sydney.  

Unlike inner city neighborhoods, Wilton’s challenge is that it’s a large area, predominantly composed of farmland that is split up by major roads, which creates a sense of disconnection between households, meaning they are dependent on cars to get around. But in solving this problem, the ambition was not to transform rural into urban. As Wilton has traditionally been a farming community, our aim was to balance residential development with retaining some of those uses and integrating them into people's lifestyles, enabling access to fresh food, open space and wild, natural areas. 

People don't just need roads and houses to live well – they need green space, they need walkable neighborhoods, and they need access to healthy food
Will Roden Project Director, Elton Consulting, part of WSP

We consulted with the local health authorities and major landholders in the area to establish a set of priorities and evidence for how the built environment can support local health and wellbeing, along with an implementation plan. The strategy focused on four areas: social infrastructure (creating spaces and services for people to learn, eat, play and connect), connectivity (developing public and active transportation and mixed-use neighborhoods allowing people to get everything they need by foot or bike), green infrastructure (providing open spaces and biodiversity corridors) and housing (sustainable and affordable dwellings that offer residents security and flexibility for a diverse set of needs and abilities). 

Underpinning these ambitions is a simple goal: delivering infrastructure on time so, for example, when schools are built, they have access to public transport and vital amenities are there when people move in. Social infrastructure is often delivered years after a community is established however in this case, we recognized there was an opportunity to do the reverse and to use it to attract people to the area. 

Health isn't just the absence of disease or injury – it's also about physical, mental and social wellbeing
Robert Khan Mayor, Wollondilly Shire Council

Wollondilly Shire Council will now use this strategy to inform planning and infrastructure delivery in Wilton, and to secure access to the resources required to deliver its vision. We are now working to agree on a baseline standard for health and wellbeing for the community so the impact of these measures can be monitored, and successful ideas repeated elsewhere.  

Other challenges that we have overcome