Parramatta’s city centre will get a housing and student accommodation boost just footsteps from the new Metro West, with 470 homes and 500 student units set to be delivered by the consortium contracted to build the Metro station and integrated development.
The $880 million contract to design and construct the Parramatta Metro station, precinct and developments above and adjacent to the station has been awarded to a consortium led by Gamuda Engineering, involving Gamuda and MTR Corporation.
The new plans would increase residential dwellings from 111 to 970, compared to concept plan approved in March 2025, supporting the Labor Government’s commitment to unlocking housing close to public transport.
The planned precinct includes four buildings: a 43-storey build-to-rent residential tower with 470 apartments, a 29-storey commercial tower, 24-storey building with 500 student accommodation units and an eight-storey hotel building.
Located between Church, Macquarie and George Streets the precinct will centre around a landscaped park that will form part of Parramatta’s future Civic Link connecting to the new Powerhouse Museum and Parramatta River foreshore. The precinct will also feature activated pedestrian laneways linking to nearby rail, light rail and bus services.
Building uses and design details are subject to further design development and planning approvals, with the final proposals to go on public exhibition for community feedback.
The contract award follows the successful completion of major excavation works and tunnelling at Parramatta as part of the Metro West Western Tunnelling Package. Station construction works are scheduled to commence in mid-2027, with completion in time for the 2032 opening of Metro West.
For three years, the team of up to 2,196 workers has excavated the 192-metre-long, 25-metre-wide, and 28-metre-deep station box and completed major structural works to ready the site for handover to the station builder.
These works also saw the largest archaeological investigations ever undertaken in New South Wales at the Parramatta Metro station site, uncovering more than 100,000 artefacts spanning thousands of years.
Discoveries included Aboriginal artefacts linked to the Burramattagal clan of the Darug Nation and evidence of some of the earliest years of European settlement, including the remains of convict huts dating back to around 1790.
Procurement for integrated station developments at Sydney Olympic Park and Pyrmont is currently underway, with contracts expected to be awarded by the end of 2026.
“We’ve finished the tunnelling and the station box, now we’re powering into the next phase, which is building the station and the hundreds of homes that will come with it,” said Transport Minister John Graham.
“These plans give a great snapshot of the future of Parramatta – hundreds of homes, student accommodation, office space, and vibrant public spaces all footsteps from rapid public transport that will get you to the Sydney CBD in 20 minutes.
“By boosting housing, we are maximising the benefits of this once-in-a-generation transport investment.
“The fascinating archaeological discoveries tell the stories of Parramatta’s past, while the Metro station plans tell the story its future.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said: “Connecting major transport investments with more homes, close to jobs, services and amenities is sensible city planning. Increasing the number of homes on this site from 111 to 970 homes shows what is possible when we take a considered approach to planning around new infrastructure.”
This post was produced by our newsroom.