A new masterplan reveals more jobs, shops, schools and homes for up to 25,000 people could soon be on the way to Sydney Olympic Park.
Now on public exhibition, the NSW Government’s new Masterplan 2050 proposes to convert Sydney Olympic Park into a “true mixed-use precinct,” with almost 1.2 million square metres of space for commercial, retail, events, tourism, sports, arts and industry.
Currently, the suburb is home to approximately 5,250 people.
Over the next 25 years, the masterplan envisages 25,000 additional residents to live in Sydney Olympic Park.
In an effort to address the housing crisis up to 13,000 homes would be delivered, with 32,000 jobs and new hotel accommodation also to be provided.
A new cultural centre, library and community hub, new community sports and leisure centres, two new schools, seven new public spaces, four new sports fields and over 10 playgrounds are slated for the precinct over the next 25 years.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said Sydney Olympic Park is about to be a “thriving well-located community,” with more homes close to jobs, transport and services.
“In the late 1990s the precinct was repurposed from surplus industrial land into the great sporting complex that we know it as today,” he said.
“Over the next 20-30 years this area will change again to welcome more homes and jobs with a projected population increase of nearly 25,000 people.
“Planning for this growth starts now. The NSW Government has mapped out a detailed and bold vision for the site with four new sports fields, ten playgrounds, dedicated employment zones and protected biodiversity areas.”
The new plans reveal The State Abattoir heritage buildings within the Urban Centre will be adaptively reused to provide a range of community and commercial uses. It also adds that the Newington Armory will be adaptively reused to host a range of uses which are “sympathetic to the heritage values and setting.”
Envisioned as a pedestrian-focused, car-lite urban centre, there’s also plenty of changes on the cards for parking in Sydney Olympic Park.
That includes redeveloping the existing P6 car park into a residential development, while a new BMX track and other sporting facilities would be located at the P5 car park.
Supportive of the masterplan, NSW Liberal Leader Mark Speakman said it has only been made possible due to the NSW Liberals and Nationals investment into the Metro West and the Parramatta Light Rail while in Government.
“The Coalition welcomes the Government’s exhibition of the Sydney Olympic Park Master Plan 2050 and the creation of homes for 25,000 additional residents in the centre of Sydney,” he said.
“25,000 new residents will be able to call this area home due to the foresight and investment of the Liberals and Nationals in Government who started the delivery of Sydney Metro West and the construction of the Parramatta Light Rail project.”
Public exhibition of the masterplan closes on Monday, November 25.
To have your say visit http://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/draftplans/exhibition/sydney-olympic-park-master-plan-2050.
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.