A proposal to transform the Rosehill Racecourse into 25,000 new homes and a metro station has divided locals, with one Parramatta Councillor warning it will turn the suburb into a “ghetto”.
A motion moved at the latest Parramatta Council meeting, which urged the Chamber to express its opposition to the proposed sale of Rosehill Gardens and to instead advocate for its heritage listing, has ultimately failed.
It comes after the Australian Turf Club (ATC) announced last year that the local landmark could be redeveloped into a “mini city”, inclusive of an additional metro west station, as part of an unsolicited proposal bought to the State Government.
Our Local Community (OLC) Councillor Michelle Garrard, who put forward the motion, said the loss of the Rosehill Gardens would have an “unprecedented” impact on Parramatta.
“Why is the land in the west expendable? Why isn’t the State Government wanting to put 25,000 units on land in the eastern or northern suburbs? Why is the west lumped with overdevelopment?” she asked the Chamber.
“I understand this is an unsolicited proposal by the ATC to the State Government, however we need to fight retain Rosehill Racecourse and not allow Parramatta’s most vulnerable land to be developed into a ghetto.”
Chris Waller, who has trained racehorses at Rosehill Gardens for the last 24 years, spoke against the whole site being sold off, suggesting instead a partial sell-off.
“We all know that Parramatta is the centre of greater western Sydney, and it deserves not only a racetrack but the community centre of the site to be preserved and promoted in the manner that it should be,” he added.
“It is important to have some green space for the community and perhaps a partial sell-off and utilising assets better is a smarter approach.”
ATC member and OLC Cumberland Councillor Helen Hughes also slammed the plans, labelling it as “a cash grab.”
“Turning this site into housing development is dumping, again, on western Sydney, which is dumped upon, time and time again,” she said.
“Western Sydney people deserve better. Retention of Rosehill Racecourse is imperative and the Camellia-Rosehill Strategy needs to be pursued.”
But not everyone was against it.
Executive Director David Borger expressed Business Western Sydney’s “unwavering support” for the proposed metro station at the Rosehill Gardens site.
“This initiative is not only just about enhancing our transport network, it’s a visionary step towards redefining the future of the greater Parramatta region and its surrounding areas,” he said.
“The establishment of a metro station at this site represents a pivotal opportunity for economic revitalisation and sustainable growth, it will serve as a catalyst for new business opportunities and creating thousands of jobs, thereby boosting the local economy significantly.”
Earlier this month, the Rosehill-Camellia Landowners Alliance (RCLA) revealed its $25 billion vision for a new community in Camellia and Rosehill, which included plans for a man-made beach along the Parramatta River and 20,000 additional homes in Camellia.
Speaking on behalf of the RCLA, which is made up of Wentworth Properties, Billbergia, Abacus and the ATC, Development Director of Billbergia Rick Graf said Sydney’s second CBD has been starved of major infrastructure projects for too long.
“Future development at Camellia, supported by a metro station, provides the essential catalyst to finally remediate and revitalise what is a declining former industrial precinct with limited employment to deliver more homes and jobs and to open up public access to 1.5km of the Parramatta riverfront,” he continued.
“While much has changed in Parramatta over the last century, the change over the next century will be even more dramatic as the city, for the first time, begins to receive the transport infrastructure that it has always deserved.”
Labor Councillor Paul Noack said building more homes in Rosehill would help to address the housing crisis.
“If you think you’re going to get a metro without housing in the Rosehill-Camellia area, you’ve got to be kidding,” he added.
“The right to housing is a human right, and the prices will deepen unless we address this.”
When put to a vote, the motion failed to get enough support to pass, with some Councillors labelling it as “incredibly premature” to oppose the plan in its early stages.
Saying the proposed sale of the site is out of Council’s control, Independent Councillors Kellie Darley and Georgina Valjak abstained from voting.
“The reality is, Council has absolutely no role in the proposed sale of the ATC land as it is a private commercial matter and the board and members will decide whether there is a full, partial or no sale,” Valjak said.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.