Rosehill Racecourse sale and redevelopment for more homes is a good bet

As a city gets to a certain point large-scale change, such as housing reform, becomes increasingly difficult - regardless of the benefit, but this is an opportunity to a dire housing shortage.

Once cities are set in their ways, large-scale change becomes increasingly difficult – regardless of how advantageous that change may be.

But Sydney now has an opportunity for change and progress that would previously have been all but unthinkable.

If pursued properly, this opportunity could deliver the equivalent of a massive green-field housing development right in Sydney’s demographic core.

We’re talking about the sort of thing that would be huge news even if it was planned for Sydney’s outskirts – but it very well may occur in the western heart of our city.

Under a daring proposal, Rosehill Gardens would be transformed from a racecourse into a new Western Sydney community with up to 25,000 new homes.

Adding more homes close to a metro station at the expense of a racecourse is a win. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

As well, this freshly-born city within a city would feature from the outset a metro station and a new school. Obviously, everything comes at a cost. Gaining this opportunity would mean losing Rosehill, home of the Golden Slipper and other peak turf events.

But even amid that loss would be a benefit. This massive housing proposal actually comes from the Australian Turf Club, which puts forward the sale of Rosehill as a means of generating some $5 billion in investment cash for the racing industry.

Chris Minns, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Turf Club. Picture: Richard Dobson

Jockey Hugh Bowman salutes the crowd after Winx wins race 5, The Agency George Ryder Stakes during Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse . Picture: AAP

In other words, a geographic loss would be a future-proofing gain for racing and for Sydney.

“It will cement Sydney racing as the best, most modern and financially secure jurisdiction anywhere in the world,” ATC chairman Peter McGauran told The Daily Telegraph.

“There’s never been an opportunity in Sydney racing and possibly not in Australian racing of this kind.”

The same may be true of Sydney’s opportunities.

Besides imposing government capture of existing properties to build new estates, there is no other way to achieve this kind of leap forward. Premier Chris Minns, who is rightly making housing the cornerstone of his government, will today announce that his government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the ATC on this visionary plan. It could prove a winner.