$25 billion new community planned for Rosehill Racecourse land
The Rosehill-Camellia Landowners Alliance (RCLA), a consortium of four major landowners, are looking to the NSW State Government to collaboratively deliver a new $25 billion community on the Rosehill Racecourse and Camellia Town Centre sites.
Set to be delivered by 2050 on the amalgamated 90-hectare site in Western Sydney, the RCLA’s $25 billion vision will unlock access to the Parramatta River waterway with a new ferry wharf, light rail, and Metro stations.
The proposed plan will also see a town centre developed as the heart of 45,000 critically needed new homes which will include affordable housing. Retail, education and commercial space alongside community facilities, public open spaces, and new infrastructure, will make up the precinct.
RCLA members include Wentworth Properties, Billbergia, Abacus, and the Australian Turf Club.
The plan’s proposed new public spaces include a 350-metre-long beach and opens up an additional 1.5 kilometres of waterfront along the Parramatta River.
Rosehill-Camellia will also catalyse a three-minute economic super-hub in Western Sydney – with residents able to commute within minutes between Westmead, Parramatta and Camellia using the new Metro.
The new public transit and walkable community would be in easy walkable access to the new Metro Station, Parramatta Light Rail stops and a new ferry wharf.
Camellia was once a major industrial precinct, but its role as an employment hub has been in decline since the 1970s, with a 91% decrease in jobs since its 1976 peak.
“This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to plan strategically for an entire ’city-within-a-city’, while also unlocking access to the riverfront – activating, remediating, and beautifying what is now a former industrial wasteland," Bilbergia Development Director Rick Graf said.
"It will enable Parramatta to fulfil its destiny as a global city alongside Sydney.
“For scale, the combined site is four times larger than Barangaroo and will accommodate 100,000 people, generating over 15,000 jobs.
It will be the largest development in the history of the Central River City and is a total game-changer for Western Sydney."
Transport infrastructure like Parramatta Light Rail and the Metro West, provides an opportunity to develop a plan that considers the site’s strategic role over the next 50 years. This includes the long-term social infrastructure needed to support the major housing supply and contribute to the status of Central River City.
The Alliance members are calling on the NSW State Government to collaborate with the Landowners and the Council to develop a new and visionary master plan to optimise the amalgamated site.
"We want to ensure international best practices are utilised to leverage the potential for value creation for both the Government and the economy," Graf added.
“The new masterplan needs to be a highest-level collaboration between government and the private sector investors, and must have the best international expertise to crystallise the broader vision."