The Minns Labor government is today announcing discussions have commenced with the Australian Turf Club (ATC) on a proposal to relocate Rosehill Race Course and build tens of thousands of new homes, surrounded by greenspace and a new Sydney Metro West station.
The proposal, which was brought to the NSW Government by the ATC, centres around the potential to build more than 25,000 new homes on the Rosehill Racecourse site. This would allow the government to explore the feasibility of a new Metro West Station at Rosehill.
The proposal will also turbocharge NSW’s world-class racing industry, securing its long-term future.
The NSW Government and the ATC have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the potentially historic plan, which would be subject to the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.
Under the ATC’s proposal:
- A centre of excellence horse training facility at Horsley Park to accommodate the relocation of 300 to 400 horses from Rosehill Gardens stables.
- Warwick Farm redeveloped as a state-of-the-art racing, training, member and spectator facility.
- Several sites across Sydney will be earmarked and investigated for a new, world-class racecourse track and facilities.
- ATC retains and develops the Rosehill Gardens site for housing (potentially 25,000 homes), entertainment, green space and a new school.
- Funds from the development invested in racing, training and member and spectator facilities at all racing, training and stabling venues.
- The NSW Government explores the feasibility of a new metro station at Rosehill to deliver reliable public transport for the new Rosehill Gardens community.
We know that housing affordability and availability are at their lowest levels in decades, and we are facing the lowest rates of rental vacancies and a slowdown in building approvals and construction activity.
This is the biggest single pressure facing the people of NSW, with mortgage payments or rent the largest expense for most households.
The NSW Government is committed to building more housing in the right places, where people want to live – to improve affordability, reduce building and infrastructure costs and create thriving communities.
The unsolicited proposals process includes:
- strong probity, conflict of interest and confidentiality arrangements, including the appointment of a probity adviser to advise, monitor and report at each stage of the assessment process.
- prohibitions on the proponent lobbying ministers or officials on the proposal, with clear communication channels established.
- clear assessment criteria, timeframes and a streamlined process for objectively assessing the proposal.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said:
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The ATC sees this as a chance to secure the future of racing in NSW.
“The government sees this as an opportunity to put its money where its mouth is and build more housing, close to transport links, with plenty of green space for new families.
“This is exactly the type of proposal my government has been talking about over the last 6 months.
“The fact is we have a housing crisis – we aren’t building enough homes. The more supply we have, the more we can drive down cost of living pressures, whether it’s for renters or those wanting to buy their own home.”
