Latest news with #AustralianTurfClub
West Australian
3 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
NSW Premier Chris Minns rejects proposal to redevelop Sydney's Long Bay prison into housing
NSW Premier Chris Minns has rebuked a proposal to close Sydney's Long Bay prison and to instead use the site for housing following the failed Rosehill racecourse purchase. Former Liberal minister David Elliott suggested closing the Matraville prison and hospital on Monday and instead using the 45ha of land for a new housing development. It comes after the Australian Turf Club shot down a $5bn proposal by the government to redevelop the historic Rosehill racecourse into 25,000 homes and a Metro stop. Asked about the Long Bay site, Mr Minns told reporters on Monday that he was 'grateful that different ideas for housing are coming up' but voiced concerns about transport. 'The real challenge with Long Bay jail is the public transport … the closest heavy rail station from Maroubra is Central Station – it's a long way' Mr Minns said. 'If we're going to have a dramatic or massive increase in population, we have to take that into consideration.' Mr Elliott suggested closing the prison and relocating it to regional NSW in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. The former minister said he had pushed for the plan almost 10 years ago while serving as prisons minister, but it had faced resistance. 'For the life of me I don't understand why we've still got Long Bay jail,' Mr Elliott said. 'This is not a modern prison. It was designed along Victorian-era prison principles. All the rehabilitation programs and facilities are last century. 'You could sell that and build a new state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose correctional facility in the outer suburbs or regional NSW where you'd get so much more bang for buck.' Mr Elliott said the Long Bay site could provide 'a magnificent place to live' for people working in the CBD and floated extended the existing city to southeast light rail. The state government's long-term plan for housing in Sydney was back under the spotlight last week when the ATC voted down the 'once-in-a-generation' plan. ATC leadership had supported the buyout, which chairman Peter McGauran said would have provided fiscal security for the club for the next '100 years'. The project would have involved 25,000 new homes and a Metro West station but faced pushback from stalwarts of the horse racing community. Mr Minns has, so far, failed to outline his 'Plan B' but revealed on Friday that the state government was discussing 'contingency' plans. 'I'm very disappointed by the Rosehill decision, but I don't regard it as a waste of time,' Mr Minns said. 'I think it's really changed the nature of the discussion about where people will be living in Sydney.' Mr Minns said the state government had specific projects in mind moving forward from the Rosehill failure but was also hoping for developers to bring projects to them.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
NSW Premier Chris Minns rejects proposal to redevelop Sydney's Long Bay prison into housing
NSW Premier Chris Minns has rebuked a proposal to close Sydney's Long Bay prison and to instead use the site for housing following the failed Rosehill racecourse purchase. Former Liberal minister David Elliott suggested closing the Matraville prison and hospital on Monday and instead using the 45ha of land for a new housing development. It comes after the Australian Turf Club shot down a $5bn proposal by the government to redevelop the historic Rosehill racecourse into 25,000 homes and a Metro stop. Asked about the Long Bay site, Mr Minns told reporters on Monday that he was 'grateful that different ideas for housing are coming up' but voiced concerns about transport. 'The real challenge with Long Bay jail is the public transport … the closest heavy rail station from Maroubra is Central Station – it's a long way' Mr Minns said. 'If we're going to have a dramatic or massive increase in population, we have to take that into consideration.' Mr Elliott suggested closing the prison and relocating it to regional NSW in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. The former minister said he had pushed for the plan almost 10 years ago while serving as prisons minister, but it had faced resistance. 'For the life of me I don't understand why we've still got Long Bay jail,' Mr Elliott said. 'This is not a modern prison. It was designed along Victorian-era prison principles. All the rehabilitation programs and facilities are last century. 'You could sell that and build a new state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose correctional facility in the outer suburbs or regional NSW where you'd get so much more bang for buck.' Mr Elliott said the Long Bay site could provide 'a magnificent place to live' for people working in the CBD and floated extended the existing city to southeast light rail. The state government's long-term plan for housing in Sydney was back under the spotlight last week when the ATC voted down the 'once-in-a-generation' plan. ATC leadership had supported the buyout, which chairman Peter McGauran said would have provided fiscal security for the club for the next '100 years'. The project would have involved 25,000 new homes and a Metro West station but faced pushback from stalwarts of the horse racing community. Mr Minns has, so far, failed to outline his 'Plan B' but revealed on Friday that the state government was discussing 'contingency' plans. 'I'm very disappointed by the Rosehill decision, but I don't regard it as a waste of time,' Mr Minns said. 'I think it's really changed the nature of the discussion about where people will be living in Sydney.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
1500 new homes announced for Sydney Fish Markets days after Rosehill redevelopment shot down
The NSW government has been given the green light for 1500 new apartments in a massive redevelopment of Sydney's old fish markets, days after a 'once-in-a-generation' mini city was voted down. The Australian Turf Club voted on Tuesday not to accept a proposed $5bn buyout of the Rosehill racecourse in Sydney's west that would have made way for 25,000 new homes and a Metro station. The controversial project was marred by delays, inquiries, and opposition from some of racing's elite, and the decision dealt a blow to Premier Chris Minns' push to erect more homes close to the Sydney CBD. On Friday, the government revealed the Department of Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure had approved Infrastructure NSW's plans to amend planning controls at the Blackwattle Bay site. Located at the old Sydney Fish Markets, the site was already slated for 1200 homes as part of a mixed-use precinct, but the office area has now been reduced to cater for more homes. Spanning some 30m of waterfront promenade, the project will rejuvenate the harbour and is being pitched as the 'missing link' in the 15km foreshore walk from Rozelle Bay to Woolloomooloo. It is expected to generate 4300 jobs at the government and private-owned sites within the precinct, which spans 3.4na near the city, with, open, recreational and cultural spaces. With the state government requiring 7.5 per cent of the homes at Blackwattle Bay to be kept for affordable housing, the project is not a replacement for the failed Rosehill project shot down this week. About 56 per cent of members present voted 'No' to the deal. On Tuesday, Mr Minns said he accepted the ATC members' decision but described the result as a 'golden opportunity that slipped through our fingers' and hinted at a possible 'Plan B'. 'We've got proposals that we're getting ready to roll out for more housing closer to Sydney CBD,' he said. 'They're not ready for me to announce today, and not everyone will love them, but they're absolutely necessary for Sydney.' Mr Minns has ruled out forced acquisition of the Rosehill site. The Blackwattle project, meanwhile, is expected to receive proposals in July from the short-listed developers Lendlease, Mirvac and Stockland, with the first homes expected by 2028.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
More housing earmarked for Sydney Fish Market redevelopment site after planning control changes
Sydney could net more than 1,500 new homes from the redevelopment of the city's old fish market after the Minns government finalised changes to planning controls. The site on Blackwattle Bay was already slated for 1,200 apartments as part of a mixed-used precinct, but the ABC can reveal the land has been rezoned to squeeze more housing from the project. NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said there would be less area for offices and more space for apartments. The announcement comes as the proposal to turn Rosehill Racecourse, near Parramatta, into a "mini city" of 25,000 homes lies dead in the water. On Tuesday, Australian Turf Club members voted against selling the track, in a major blow to the Minns government's push to address the state's housing shortage. Mr Scully said the government was working on "other options" in lieu of its scuppered Rosehill plan. The government will require 7.5 per cent of the homes on Blackwattle Bay to be kept "in perpetuity" for affordable housing. But the location means the rest of the homes are likely to be priced too high for those on ordinary incomes. The minister said the rezoning made no substantial changes to building height limits, which range from six to 36 storeys. He said there would be no loss of open space under the modified plan, which includes a 1-hectare park at the southern pylon of the Anzac Bridge. A promenade 30-metres wide will be built along the bay, linking Glebe Island Bridge and the new Sydney Fish Market. The developers — Lendlease, Mirvac and Stockland — were shortlisted late last year to carry out the urban renewal. The companies are due to submit their proposals in July, with the first new homes expected to be built by 2028. The units will be a short stroll from the proposed metro station at Pyrmont, but the first residents will have to wait several years to ride it. The Metro West to Parramatta is not set to open until 2032. "The homes will come slightly in front of the Metro, but it's in a really well-located part of Sydney with access to transport, and access to jobs," Mr Scully said.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
With Rosehill scratched where else can Sydney build? Here are seven prime locations
High-rise blocks in Woollahra? Convert Glebe Island for housing instead of ships? Move Long Bay Jail? Build on Callan park? The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has promised to unveil a 'Plan B' to repair the hole punched in his government's housing blueprint after members of the Australian Turf Club voted against selling the Rosehill racecourse site to make way for 25,000 new homes. The loss of the envisioned mini-city at Rosehill leaves the state government scrambling to address the city's housing crisis. Earlier in the week Minns said he was disappointed but not put off by the failure of the Rosehill proposal. 'It is important to test these things, even if the risk is failure, because the task in front of us when it comes to housing in NSW is so monumental that we cannot just take the safe option,' he said. 'We cannot just take the sure bet. If we take the sure bet on every housing proposal and only do uncontroversial things that will not make nimbys irate, nothing will move in NSW.' Are there other sites that could be developed to boost housing in Sydney? The Bays precinct is a large area around Rozelle and Blackwattle Bay. It has been earmarked for development but planning is in the early stages. It will have a Metro station on the Metro West line and the plan has earmarked sites for commercial property and 5,000 homes. The plan does not include developing the port facilities at Glebe Island, formerly used to unload imported cars. Today the port is used intermittently for overseas cruise ships that fit under the Harbour Bridge and for concrete batching for major projects including the Metro and Barangaroo. Its proximity to the city and proposed public transport links mean it could accommodate more housing. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Urban Taskforce's chief executive, Tom Forrest, has said it would create few shadowing problems for surrounding houses – allowing for greater density. The downside is that it would lead to the loss of marine infrastructure in Sydney Harbour. Asked about this site in parliament on Wednesday, the NSW planning minister, Ryan Park, did not rule it out. Developers are already advocating for greater housing densities at Olympic Park to replace Rosehill. The master plan for 2050 calls for 13,000 new homes but developers say the 43-hectare site could house more. The upside is that Olympic Park is on the Metro West line and has good sport and recreational facilities. The downside is that planning is advanced and changes could delay development. The Metro West line goes directly under this 62-hectare government-owned waterfront site in Rozelle which was once home to Callan Park hospital. No station is now planned but one could be added, in the same way the government proposed an additional station for Rosehill. However, the site is now parkland and has several heritage-listed stone buildings. Development, especially high-density housing, would set the government on a collision course with inner-west residents and heritage experts. The state government also owns the 25-hectare Gladesville hospital site on Victoria Road, although it is not on the Metro line. It is now used for some health facilities and is also heritage listed. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The Sydney Yimby chair, Justin Simon, is an advocate for allowing more density in the eastern suburbs. He notes there is a partially constructed station in Woollahra on the eastern suburbs rail line that was mothballed in the 1970s due to resident objections. Simon said the government's Transport Oriented Development (Tod) program doesn't include any eastern suburbs sites. The program allows development within 400 metres of transport hubs, and in the case of accelerated precincts, allows heights up to 30 storeys. The policy has led to several sites being proposed by developers on Sydney's north shore. Simon said the forgotten Woollahra station could be developed quickly and developers would be keen to assemble sites from small holdings as they have on the north shore. 'We would be calling for very tall buildings,' he said. Again, this proposal would meet resistance from the residents and heritage experts because homogenous Victorian housing characterises Woollahra. The government appears to have ruled out building a Metro station at Rosehill after the proposed sale was rejected by turf club members. But developers say the area remains a good location for more homes and a rail link. The development director at Billbergia, Rick Graf, said the area remains a highly suitable site for high-density development and a modified Metro station closer to the Camellia town centre should be considered by the government. Graf, who is also the convener of the Rosehill-Camellia Landowners Alliance, suggested the current plans for Camelia, an old industrial area 1.5km from the Parramatta CBD, were undercooked and should be revisited. The current master plan envisages 13,000 dwellings serviced by the Parramatta light rail and a ferry wharf. But with the addition of the underused lands owned by the ATC around the racecourse, Graf said the area could support 25,000 homes in towers of 40 to 50 storeys, serviced by a Metro station. 'The racetrack could be part of the green space. In other parts of the world, playing fields are incorporated in the centre of race tracks,' he said. Graf said Camellia landowners had not talked to the government since the Rosehill plan was defeated, but there was still a compelling case for a mini-city in the area. Another state government-owned site, Long Bay is now used as a remand centre. The 32-hectare site is serviced by buses along Anzac Parade but is only 5km from the existing last light rail stop at Kingsford. The prison would need to be relocated but the proximity to the CBD and beaches would make it attractive for new housing development. Development at the 20-hectare commonwealth-owned Randwick barracks has been floated since the 1980s. It is relatively close to the last stops on the L2 and L3 light rail lines. The current plan is for Defence to build 62 townhouses on a fraction of the site for defence families and retain it as a defence facility. The development is expected to be assessed by federal authorities this year and is exempt from state and local planning controls.
