Cowra councillors have raised concerns over the NSW Government’s new 20 year regional transport plan, which fails to specifically identify a second Lachlan River crossing or include the town’s highway connections on key freight route maps. The final Central West and Orana Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan has drawn criticism from councillors who questioned its value after years of consultation, submissions and planning. Councillor Ruth Fagan described the document as a collection of broad statements offering little certainty for Cowra. “This has been on the cards for at least six years,” Cr Fagan said. “It does a lot of talking. "It does a lot of planning, and it doesn’t actually prioritise any future funding for any of the initiatives in this document. “So that is pretty damning and really disappointing.” The plan outlines 39 initiatives intended to guide regional transport investment over the next two decades, but councillors argued it failed to address Cowra’s most pressing infrastructure needs. “Disappointingly, we don’t get a second bridge,” Cr Fagan said. “It does mention maybe a bypass investigation, which is good as long as it includes a bridge.” She said the document contained extensive discussion without delivering the commitments Council had sought. “There was a lot of fluff, a lot of lovely photos, a lot of lovely nice sayings, a lot of people saying the right thing,” she said. “But actually, as far as projects go, as far as anything for us, it’s a little bit disappointing.” Mayor Paul Smith questioned what had been achieved following years of consultation involving Council and residents. “We’ve put a lot of work into this,” Cr Smith said. “We’ve put submissions in. "The people of the town put submissions in.” He recalled residents from Boorowa and Young Roads attending public consultation meetings to raise concerns about local traffic conditions. “The amount of money that has been tied up in staffing and knocking out this plan, and basically it doesn’t say anything,” he said. Another concern was the exclusion of Cowra’s highway connections from the plan’s mapped key and secondary freight routes. Cr Wright questioned why roads connecting Cowra to Forbes, Dubbo and the Newell Highway had not received greater recognition. “We’ve got five highway or regional roads coming into Cowra, and they’re just showing their contempt of not meeting the challenge of providing good access, road access for all vehicles,” he said. He also revisited bypass proposals considered between approximately 2008 and 2012, which included possible additional river crossings. Councillor Tony Horton raised concerns about the implications for Cowra’s livestock industry. “I think the map on page 409 is really concerning,” Cr Horton said. “As far as that map’s concerned, we’re not going to get bigger trucks into the saleyards because the roads aren’t a priority. “So we’ve got a lot of advocacy to do.” However, Councillor Erin Watt offered a more optimistic assessment, acknowledging the absence of specific infrastructure commitments while identifying opportunities for progress. “It’s very disappointing that this does not include a specific commitment around improving our highway connections, such as an additional bridge crossing, but I am slightly more optimistic,” Cr Watt said. She welcomed recognition of freight movements, possible bypass investigations and planning for Kendal Street. Cr Watt also highlighted potential investigations into public transport connections between Cowra, Orange and Canberra, particularly for residents accessing medical services. “We often reflect that we have kind of been cut out of that public transport loop in lots of ways with the trains no longer coming to Cowra,” she said. Councillor Nikki Kiss said the plan demonstrated a difference between the State Government’s priorities and Council’s expectations. “It specifically points out that they don’t believe that their priorities are the same as ours,” Cr Kiss said. She described the inclusion of a photograph of the Cowra Rail Bridge as ironic given the absence of a commitment to another river crossing. However, she suggested Council could use the document to reconsider its advocacy approach. “I think what this has given us is what their 20 year vision is,” she said. “So it gives us pause now to say, well, let’s have a rethink.” The future of Cowra’s non-operational railway corridor also remains unresolved. The plan identifies no additional action to review the Cowra lines, including the Blayney to Demondrille corridor. Transport for NSW said previous investigations had not established a strong investment case for reopening the railway. “No new information gathered through development of the plan justifies re-examining previous investigations,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson said. “Previous investigations did not identify a strong case for investment in the Cowra lines.” The department said it would continue monitoring passenger and freight demand and could reconsider non-operational lines if circumstances changed. Responding to Council’s broader concerns, Transport for NSW defended the plan as a long term strategic document rather than a funded construction program. “The Plan includes 39 initiatives that respond to local transport challenges and opportunities, with a focus on improving safety, supporting economic growth, strengthening freight connections, improving network resilience and enhancing access to services,” the spokesperson said. The department said Cowra was recognised as a strategic centre and would benefit from initiatives examining congestion, freight movements and passenger connections. However, it confirmed most initiatives required further investigation before funding or delivery decisions could be made. “The Plan is not a funded works program,” the spokesperson said. “Most initiatives require further investigation and planning, with Transport continuing to work with councils, industry and the community to identify priorities and funding opportunities as implementation progresses.” Regarding the second Lachlan River crossing, Transport for NSW acknowledged Council’s interest but provided no construction commitment or assessment timeframe. The department said it would continue working with Council to assess options for improving network resilience, traffic flow and connectivity, including the performance of existing infrastructure. For Cowra’s councillors, the outcome means continuing to advocate for infrastructure projects already pursued for years. While the plan recognises Cowra’s strategic importance, its most significant infrastructure priorities remain without specific commitments. “There are a couple of little things in it, little jewels,” Cr Fagan said. “But we’ll just continue to work towards what we want and what we need for our community.”
