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Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse will be relocated to make way for tens of thousands of new homes and an additional Metro West station, under a new proposal by the NSW government.
Premier Chris Minns announced the "once in a generation opportunity" tonight and said the government was in discussions with the Australian Turf Club about relocating the racecourse so 25,000 new houses can be built on the site.
Under the proposal, the site will also include a new school, parklands and entertainment, being touted as a new "mini city".
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Minns said the project would ease housing pressures at a time when affordability and availability were at their lowest levels in decades.
"We are facing the lowest rates of rental vacancies and a slowdown in building approvals and construction activity," Minns said.
"This is the biggest single pressure facing the people of New South Wales, 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."
Several sites across Sydney will be earmarked and investigated for the new racing track and facilities.
The government's plan has been welcomed by business group Business Western Sydney.
"An additional metro station at Rosehill finally puts the 'west' in Sydney Metro West and starts to address the huge 7km station gap in the route," executive director David Borger said.
"A new metro station at Rosehill is the opportunity to transform a part of Greater Parramatta that has long needed attention. It can deliver 25,000 new homes and create an accessible mini-city with great connections to Parramatta and the Sydney CBDs."
Borger said the plan was "a win for the long-term vision for our city" and would support housing and jobs.
"Metro lines in the leading cities of the word like London and Paris have short distances between metro stations. The decision to add more metro stations helps to balance the number of stations west of Sydney Olympic Park compared to the east and should deliver better value to our city as a result.
"While a delay to the opening of Sydney Metro West is regrettable, we need to make sure we get this city shaping project right and support as many new homes and jobs as we can with more stations."
