The Urban Design Framework (UDF) was endorsed by Council in 2018 following extensive engagement with the community.

The UDF is a guiding document developed to shape the ongoing evolution of the Camden Town Centre.

Council was successful in receiving $23.1 million for the John Street Public Domain Upgrade & Activation project including the Camden Wayfinding and Signage Strategy from the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program.

The UDF identified John Street as having potential for significant enhancements, aiming to celebrate its unique heritage while increasing its role as a vibrant creative and community hub.

The $23.1 million revitalisation, funded by the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program, responds directly to community feedback and long-standing aspirations for a safer, more accessible and vibrant town centre. The works will improve pedestrian safety, enhance mobility and access as well celebrate Camden’s unique identity.

As part of the development of the Camden Town Centre Urban Design Framework in 2018, people and businesses shared their aspirations for the Camden Town Centre. At this time, John Street was identified as a future creative and community hub for Camden, and improvements to support this vision were identified as a priority project for our community.

To begin the John Street project, we undertook stage one of our community consultation from 30 May to 24 June 2024. During this Research and Validation phase, we asked businesses, property owners, residents and community groups a series of questions so we could understand what the community liked and disliked about John Street, how they envisaged John Street as a future creative and community hub as well as their small and big ideas for the street.

Feedback across all engagement was highly consistent and identified five key themes for improvements to John Street – Highlight local history; Improve public facilities and amenity; Improve pedestrian access; Activate John Street; Beautify John Street.

With this information from the community, we have developed draft concept designs for:

• John Street (Upper, Central and Lower Precincts);
• 27 John Street (corner of John and Mitchell Streets); and
• Camden Signage and Wayfinding Strategy.

With the information received from the community during Stage One of this projects engagement, we have developed draft concept designs for:

• John Street (Upper, Central and Lower Precincts);
• 27 John Street (corner of John and Mitchell Streets); and
• Camden Signage and Wayfinding Strategy.

The project is in the early planning stages, with design expected to be complete by the beginning of 2026. Construction is expected to commence mid-2026 and be completed by the end of 2028.

The John Street Project aims to enhance Camden’s civic and cultural heart while preserving its unique heritage and character. Spanning the upper, central, and lower precincts, the project aims to create a safer, more inclusive, and pedestrian-friendly environment that invites people to linger, connect and explore the town centre.

In the upper and lower precincts, the focus is on functional improvements that retain existing parking while significantly enhancing pedestrian access and safety. Upgraded footpaths, improved crossings, and better connectivity to local services will ensure users can enjoy the area comfortably and confidently.

The central precinct prioritises the public domain, with extended kerb lines creating wider footpaths and shared spaces for gathering, socialising, and community events. This area will become a vibrant civic hub, anchored by cultural landmarks such as the Camden Library, Museum, Art Gallery and Camden Civic Centre. By calming traffic and enhancing walkability, the precinct will become a welcoming place where great spaces bring people together.

Across all three precincts, the project places people before cars, delivering a cohesive streetscape that balances movement, safety, and amenity. Through thoughtful design and community-led planning, John Street will evolve into a place that celebrates Camden’s past while embracing its future.

Other related projects include:

• The John Street Land Use Study, which assesses activities and opportunities in the area;
• The Camden Town Centre Signage and Wayfinding Strategy, which aims to enhance the town’s character and amenity through signage;
• 27 John Street, Camden; and
• The Camden Civic Centre upgrade.

Following the Arboriculture Assessment Report, 14 trees in poor condition or with limited life expectancy are proposed to be removed and seven young trees are proposed to be relocated into Camden Town Farm. The project will include the planting of approximately 100 new trees, offering greater shade and tree canopy whilst minimising negative interaction with the footpaths, roads, and sandstone kerbs.

The John Street upgrade has been carefully designed to balance improved pedestrian safety and public space with the need to maintain vehicle access and parking.

The draft concept design proposes the removal of approximately 55-65 on-street parking spaces, primarily in the Central Precinct, to create a more pedestrian-focused town centre.

Extensive parking studies have shown that more than 140 off-street parking spaces are available within walking distance at any time.

Traffic movement will remain a priority, with John Street continuing to accommodate buses, trucks, cars and bikes. Proposed changes such as reduced speed limits and raised pedestrian crossings are expected to improve safety without significantly impacting travel times.

Approximately 55-65 parking spots are proposed to be lost in total.

This reduction in parking spaces is primarily between Argyle and Mitchell Streets and is necessary to deliver the community’s vision of a pedestrian focused and more accessible central precinct that highlights local history and activates John Street, restoring John Street to its original role as a civic and community hub.

In order to respond to this parking loss, the draft concept design for John Street features improved connections to off-street parking at walking distance. Parking surveys undertaken as part of this project have demonstrated there is greater than 20% (or more than 140) parking spots available in off-street parking at any time.

For this project, off-street parking included:

• Oxley Street Car Park;
• Larkin Place Car Park;
• Hill and John Street Car Park; and
• Murray and John Street Car Park;

The upgrade to John Street makes the town centre more accessible, comfortable, safer and welcoming for everyone. On-street parking is being reconfigured to allow for safer pedestrian movement, wider footpaths, more public space, increased tree canopy and better access for people of all ages and abilities.

In the central precinct, where most of the parking changes are proposed, spaces have been removed to deliver a new central plaza, creating a larger civic area that supports community gatherings, events, everyday use, connectivity between public buildings and longer stays for residents, customers, and shoppers.

Movement of vehicles and vehicle access along the length of John Street is vitally important to our businesses, residents and facilities. As such, the street will continue to be open for used by buses, trucks, cars, and bikes. The draft concept design has aimed to explore how we minimise impacts on existing users whilst transforming John Street from a thoroughfare to an exciting and enjoyable place for residents and visitors to enjoy. At times the street will be closed for community events and appropriate traffic diversions would be put in place.

John Street is currently home to important civic functions such as schools, churches, Camden Library, and the Camden Senior Citizens Centre, and is therefore used by many pedestrians, including children and elderly.

While part of John Street is already a 40km/h school zone, the draft concept design proposes to make the street a “slow speed environment”. While slow speed environments have proven to be significantly safer for pedestrians, they also create environments where people want to spend more time and ultimately engage longer with local businesses and facilities.

The impact of a 30/40kph zone on the rest of the network will be studied further over the course of the project. However, studies already undertaken show the impact on traffic in John Street is limited:

• Speed surveys recorded the 85% percentile speed through John Street between Argyle Street and Mitchell Street to be 46 km/h, so a lower speed limit is not significantly different to existing behaviour.
• Given that each precinct is a short section of approximately 200-250m, reducing the speed from 50 km/h to 30km/h would only add approximately 10 seconds of vehicle travel time to each precinct.

The draft concept design for the laneway to Larkin Place (alongside the Library) addresses the current, unsafe situation of pedestrians walking along the roadway to access John Street from Larkin Place and vice-versa.

The draft concept design proposes a sidewalk for pedestrians and one lane for cars to exit Larkin Place into John Street. This change is expected to reduce vehicle traffic along John Street (no cars coming into Larkin Place from John Street) and would lead to additional traffic using Elizabeth Street.

Council is committed to retaining the existing sandstone kerbs wherever possible.

In areas where the footpath is being widened, the sandstone kerbs will be carefully relocated to the new kerb location. If during the detailed design or construction phases, some sections are unable to be reused, they will be carefully salvaged, reinstated nearby or relocated within the project area. If relocation isn't viable, the sandstone will be stored by Council for use in future works.

All existing monuments and plaques will be retained. If any require temporary removal during construction, they will be carefully stored and reinstated as part of the works.

In 2016, the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council lodged an Aboriginal Land Claim with the Aboriginal Land Rights Registrar for ownership of the Camden Police Station. Under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW), the building was granted to the Tharawal Local Aboriginal Land Council in 2020.

Tharawal Local Aboriginal Land Council has not made their plans for the site public.

Camden Court House closed for the foreseeable future in February 2021 due to concerns relating to safety, lack of audio-visual technology and privacy for victims of crime. The Department of Communities and Justice have not advised what they intend to do with the site in the future.

The proposed transformation of 27 John Street represents an exciting opportunity to extend Camden’s civic and cultural heart.

Located at the corner of John and Mitchell Streets, this site is envisioned as a flexible community space that complements the adjacent Camden Civic Centre and Memorial Garden.

Based on community feedback in June 2024, the draft concept design proposes a landscaped area that can support outdoor performances, community events, and quiet reflection, enhancing the precinct’s role as a gathering place for locals and visitors.

While funding for this project has not been secured, Council has endorsed the allocation of resources for detailed design, pending community support during the current engagement phase. Should the draft concept be supported, Council will actively seek funding opportunities to bring this vision to life.

In June 2024, we asked the community to share their big and small ideas for John Street. From this, the following ideas from the community emerged:

• Upgrades at the corner of Mitchell and John Street – landscaping, seating – might attract people, buskers, somewhere to eat.
• There is potential for the corner of Mitchell and John Street where Council owned land is currently not well utilised. A seating installation would maximise the potential of the view across the road to the church.
• Create community spirit by encouraging events where local businesses can join in by hosting buskers, setting up pop-up shops, or even creating mini markets out the front of their business, turning the area into a lively hub of music, shopping, and community.
• Activate John Street with temporary events that draw people into John Street, day and night.
• Create spaces to linger in – pocket parks – design to encourage usage – kids, workers eating lunch, high school kids after school.
• Maximise the quiet nature of the lower end of John Street with sensory gardens and quiet spaces.
• Encourage people to visit, enjoy and stay in John Street for longer. Provide people with comfortable, safe spaces and reasons to linger.
• Enhance the diversity of land use and activation, both day and night.
• Activate key locations and encourage a mix of permanent land uses, and programmatic events to enliven John Street, and encourage active uses to spill out onto the street.

The 27 John Street project falls outside the scope of works of the John Street Public Domain Upgrade & Activation project and is therefore unfunded.

Should the community support changes to this location, Council will proceed to detailed design and will proactively seek grant opportunities to fund this project.

When Council applied to the NSW Government for funding, it was based on the plans for John Street as outlined in the Urban Design Framework.

Should the community support changs to this location, Council will proceed to detailed design and will proactively seek funding opportunities to deliver this project.

Council has met with Macarthur Disability Service (MDS) and the managing agent, and they are aware of the draft concept design and the engagement activities Council is undertaking. Council will continue to work with MDS to ensure they remain informed and are provided ample notice should the community support the draft concept design, funding is secured and they are required to vacate.

Wayfinding signage will help people navigate and find their way throughout the Camden Town Centre, allowing them to move around the precinct quickly and safely.

Way finding signage provides directions to Points of Interest, parking and public toilets.

It is common for wayfinding signage to use dark backgrounds and light-coloured text and symbols.

This helps to maximise contrast, allowing users to read and interpret the signage from a distance and in various lighting conditions. This style of signage is also easier for people with low vision or colour blindness to read.

We've added a gallery to this page to show examples of wayfinding signage from a range of public spaces in NSW.

Wayfinding signage will initially be installed in John Street as part of the John Street Upgrade and Activation project.

Council plans to continue rolling this signage out throughout the Camden Town Centre to ensure the Signage and Wayfinding Strategy is complete.

The colour palette selected in the draft Signage and Wayfinding Strategy was chosen based on feedback from the community engagement in June 2024 as well as from observations of Camden.

The colour palette proposed consists of natural greens as well as lighter, more natural shades to complement the sandstone/heritage of the town.

The wayfinding signage plans to highlight locations within Camden that residents often visit including:

• Camden Town Farm;
• Camden Community Garden;
• Bicentennial Equestrian Park;
• Walking tracks;
• Macarthur Park;
• St John's Church;
• Camden Library;
• Alan Baker Art Gallery; and
• Camden Museum

Through their research, the consultant identified the Jacaranda flower as one of Camden's key features.

Along with the many Jacarandas planted in the middle of Argyle Street and in the upper precinct of John Street, the Jacaranda flower is represented in various iron detailing on buildings lining Argyle Street.

The graphic on the bottom of the larger signs is a line drawing from a silhouette of Camden based on an 1895 photo by C Kerry looking up towards St John's Church from central John Street.