Sydney University campus for North Parramatta

A university campus is set to turn North Parramatta into one of Australia’s leading health precincts but opponents have slammed the plan. SEE THE ARTIST IMPRESSIONS.

An artist impression of the train line going through the university campus at the Cumberland Hospital grounds in North Parramatta.

A “world class” Sydney University campus will turn North Parramatta into one of Australia’s largest health, education, research and training precincts when it opens but opponents have slammed it as “an unsolicited bid on public land”.

The State Government and Sydney University on Friday confirmed plans for the multi-disciplinary university campus in the Westmead Health and Innovation District, which is on the grounds of the historic Cumberland Hospital site.

The university hopes to attract more than 25,000 students and 2500 staff by 2055 and provide “affordable student and staff accommodation”.

The developments will include a Parramatta Light Rail stop outside the campus, which is on the northern edge of the Cumberland site and next to the North Parramatta heritage core, where the government this week announced plans for a tech start-up hub.

The university campus will be built on the historic Cumberland Hospital grounds at North Parramatta.

Western Sydney, Jobs, Investment and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said the plans would drive innovation and enable the nation to become a world leader in research that “saves lives and cure diseases’’.

Mr Ayres said over the next 30 years, the innovation and health district was expected to create more than 20,000 jobs and contribute an extra $2.8 billion of economic output per year to the NSW economy.

“Having the university at the core of the Westmead Health and Innovation District will help transform the district into a powerhouse of invention, creativity, and commercialisation, and home to world-leading enterprises, start-ups, researchers and students,” he said.

Sydney University’s outgoing vice-chancellor and principal Dr Michael Spence said the university’s expansion in western Sydney was an economic, social, cultural and intellectual boost.

“This once-in-a-century opportunity in western Sydney would build on our 40-year history at Westmead and create a genuinely multidisciplinary major campus that enables new partnership and innovation opportunities for all of Sydney,” Dr Spence said.

“We are committed to offering students in western Sydney more opportunity to study and pursue research with our incredible academics to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.”

The Sydney University campus will be one of the nation’s leading research hubs.

Parramatta state Liberal MP Geoff Lee said the agreement was a win for Parramatta and western Sydney.

“Westmead is already the largest biomedical precinct in Australia. The commitment by University of Sydney today will transform the precinct by offering a comprehensive suite of university courses beyond health studies. Parramatta City has established itself to be the education capital of western Sydney.’’

However, North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group has long opposed to the plans since they were first flagged in 2018.

Student housing is also proposed on the historic site.

“It’s an unsolicited bid on public land,’’ spokeswoman Suzette Meade said.

“It’s public land and there was no public tender made.

“There’s disappointment they’ve gone ahead, especially post-COVID when we’ve learned how important green space was for our mental and physical health, and they’re going to develop our grounds and our most historic grounds in North Parramatta.

The university will draw 25,000 students by 2055.

Ms Meade said Parramatta Council’s development control plan would allow for 25-storey buildings on the Cumberland site but a CFMEU green ban from five years ago remained.

In 2015, UrbanGrowth planned 1600 apartments in high-rise blocks for the Cumberland site but were canned after huge community outcry.

The Cumberland Hospital site is regarded as one of the nation’s richest historical places and has been used as a mental health institute since 1818.

The government said it was considering housing for the Cumberland precinct that comprised land at the Cumberland East and Cumberland West hospital sites.

Suzette Meade says the community should have been consulted more about the university being developed on the Cumberland precinct. Picture: Richard Dobson

It said future uses would ensure “enhanced heritage and environmental assets, activated places, connected communities and tailored accommodation strategies to support a variety of housing needs in western Sydney”.

Ms Meade called for high-rise housing to be scrapped and more community consultation.

“There’s no consultation with the community,’’ she said.

“They’ve been working on this since 2018 and the community’s been left out of the room.’’