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Land at TAFE’s Campbelltown campus is likely to be sold off to make way for a business park, the state government has revealed. A Department of Planning map outlining growth around Macarthur Train Station in the next 20 years recommends a large portion of the campus make way for factories and offices. Plans for the Nexus Business Park on the other (northern) side of Narellan Road have been lodged with Campbelltown Council and there has been talk of the precinct expanding to the southern (TAFE) side of the road. However, nothing formally has been lodged. Campbelltown MP Greg Warren (Labor) said with the population growth predicted for the Macarthur region, business parks were essential to ensure residents didn’t have to travel outside the region to get to work. However, he said reducing the Campbelltown TAFE campus’ footprint was not the answer. “There have been numerous discussions about employment lands and business parks, both of which are something we do need as a community,” he said. “We need local jobs for local people, but those people will need skills for those jobs and that’s where TAFE comes in.” The Advertiser asked TAFE a series of questions including: were they aware of the plans; should Macarthur locals be concerned; and what the capacity of the TAFE was currently. A response from a TAFE spokesman did not specifically address any of those questions. “TAFE NSW will be consulting with the Department of Planning and Environment on any impact the Glenfield to Macarthur Corridor Strategy may have on the site,” he said. “TAFE NSW is committed to service delivery in the Macarthur region and will continue to offer a full range of education and training from the Campbelltown campus for many years to come.” While there is been no official Labor Party policy, Mr Warren said he was “certain we (Labor) will not flog off TAFEs for development”. The plans did not sit well with his Labor colleague, Macquarie Fields MP Anoulack Chanthivong either. Mr Chanthivong said any decision to sell land at the campus would rub salt into the wounds of the region’s residents who were already stinging from several controversial state government decisions. “They’ve already destroyed Hurlstone Agricultural High School, closed the RMS in Ingleburn and Campbelltown and cut off direct train services from Campbelltown to Parramatta,” he said. “When it comes to our community getting its fair share, this Liberal government’s record is appalling.”

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