TAKING stores out of shopping centres and putting them back on the high street will be a central plank in the state government’s metropolitan strategy.

Other central aims of the strategy, released by Planning Minister Pru Goward today, include building high-rise schools and elevating Parramatta to the same status as Sydney CBD.

It includes creating 8000 new jobs, a $30 million investment in roads and a plan to revitalise more than two dozen Sydney suburbs.

Ms Goward said the 28 “strategic centres” undefined which include Blacktown, Liverpool, Sydney Olympic Park and Hornsby undefined will see increased street malls, with the government working with councils to investigate the impediments to thriving shopping strips.

“This is a Sydney suburb revival undefined recreating days where people lived, worked and shopped locally,” she said.

“By working with councils and communities to make more room for offices we will create suburban shopping areas that are alive with activity.”

Campbelltown has been elevated to a strategic centre in the plan, meaning that the state government will investigate where new jobs and housing can be added.

“It is a well-deserved recognition of how important the area is to Sydney’s success, bringing renewed focus, jobs, homes, shops and restaurants to the areas,” Ms Goward said. “Campbelltown’s significance will grow with ongoing work in and around Badgerys Creek airport, making Campbelltown an obvious centre for jobs and homes in a growing Sydney.”

As part of a long-term plan for growing communities, the government will also look at “the efficiency of delivering new infrastructure such as multistorey schools in dense urban communities”.

The elevation of Parramatta to the same status as the Sydney CBD will mean the government has to plan for how to boost job numbers, transport connections, and amenities to comparable levels.

“Parramatta will be the driving force behind Sydney’s seismic shift to the west. Parramatta’s CBD will be elevated to match Sydney’s CBD with an injection of homes, jobs and world class entertainment, restaurants and shopping,” Ms Goward said.

“The Plan for Growing Sydney will shift the city’s centre of gravity from the East to the West, firmly establishing Parramatta as a major CBD alongside Sydney.”

To begin with, Parramatta will be the location of the first “green grid” pilot, where parklands and open spaces are linked by cycleways and walking tracks, and the city will be separated into connected health, arts and education districts.

The government plan includes a commitment to expanding the Westmead health precinct and encouraging higher education providers to develop Rydalmere as the key western Sydney university district.