Moore Park Entertainment Quarter to be overhauled in mass development

Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park will be entirely revamped to turn the tired inner city area into a bustling late night hub, that would host the likes of international star Dua Lipa and homegrown heroes Cold Chisel.

Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park will be entirely overhauled in a massive redevelopment designed to turn the tired inner city area into a bustling late night hub.

A new indoor performance space for live music and sporting matches, hosting an audience of up to 20,000 will form part of a multimillion dollar development, which would also involve upgrading the showgrounds and expanding the number of restaurants and bars in the area in a bid to draw thousands more visitors to the precinct each year.

The Minns Government will hold an open tender process for the long-term lease at the Entertainment Quarter with the requirement that the entire site will be redeveloped to deliver more visitors, more live performance, and more major events, including allowing for the possibility of bringing shows like the Royal Easter Show to the former Sydney Showgrounds site.

Proposals for additional creative spaces for live performance, as well as an upgraded space for large food markets and cultural events will also be an element of the revitalisation of the site, which currently sits empty for much of the year.

Aerial view of the Moore Park Entertainment Quarter. The lease boundary is outlined in red. Picture: Supplied

The current lease holders of the Entertainment Quarter, Carsingha Investments which is headed up by directors including businessman John Singleton and Gerry Harvey has confirmed the company will be vying for the tender.

The tender process which will run through to next year will prioritise bids that go beyond key infrastructure upgrades to support the increase in visitors to site, also looking at ways to open the precinct to be better integrated with the neighbouring Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium and surrounding parklands.

Carsingha has faced difficulty in improving the site over recent years, with previous plans to expand the site with new community markets, live music events and food and truck stalls hitting roadblocks from angry residents and rejections from the City of Sydney Council.

Dua Lipa, who is due to perform in Sydney this year is one of many artists Premier Chris Minns would like to see at the new precinct.Picture: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)

The Daily Telegraph revealed last month that plans to increase the number of people allowed to attend new community markets and live music events at the precinct had been slashed from 8000 to just 3000 in response to objections from homeowners living within earshot of the site.

The new tender process for a full redevelopment could circumvent the need for council approval entirely, paving the way for approval to instead be given by the state’s Planning Department.

Carsingha director John Singleton said the City of Sydney council had been the biggest roadblock to revitalising the precinct

“We have signed and sealed nearly a billion dollars for an indoor entertainment centre, we’ve got the money but we can’t get it approved … we can’t build, we can’t do anything,” he said.

“The only way to overcome the council is for the Minns government to show some balls.”

Cold Chisel playing at Gold Coast Convention Centre. (L-R) Jimmy Barnes

Mr Singleton said the venue, despite being in the centre of Sydney had become sad and dilapidated.

“If you walk around now it’s like time has passed it by – I agree with young people, we want things to do, places to go, and not just at night time.

“Where’s the rodeo, where’s the polo, where’s the circus, where’s the magic?”

Larrikin adman John Singleton director of Carsingha, the group with a leasehold on the EQ. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Entertainment Quarter chair Tony Shepherd. Picture: Getty Images

Entertainment Quarter chair Tony Shepherd said the outcome of the revitalisation would turn the precinct into a global destination, attracting world class acts to the area.

“This is a great step forward for Sydney and NSW and it’s about time that the redevelopment of the entertainment quarter took place,” he said.

“Carsingha will enthusiastically participate in the tender process.

“This will add considerably to Sydney as a local, national and global destination – it will be world class.”

Mr Shepherd said if the company was successful in their tender they would expect an extension to their current lease which ends in 2046. The government has said while no decision has been made in regards to the existing lease, the open tender process will fast track the development of the site.

Premier Chris Minns said the Entertainment Quarter was falling short of its potential. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Premier Chris Minns said the Entertainment Quarter was “falling far short of meeting its full potential”.

“The new EQ entertainment precinct would provide another world-class venue for great home grown artists and international acts to perform at, like Cold Chisel and Dua Lipa who Sydney will be hosting over the next six months,” he said.

“We’re focused on turning Sydney into the best entertainment destination in the world.”

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said a revamped Entertainment Quarter would pump money into the state’s economy.

“The redevelopment of this precinct would create jobs and stimulate the local economy in turn creating employment opportunities for people in tourism, retail and hospitality,” he said.

Live Performance Australia chief executive Evelyn Richardson to move to increase the number of venues for live music and theatre was critical.

“When you look at audience numbers for music, musical theatre, for theatre, with the predicted population growth we know that we already have gaps in the market – so we clearly need to be building that infrastructure now,” she said.

Establishing new precincts and re-energising existing precincts is really important and you see it happening all around the world – Sydney is a central part of the national touring network for a whole range of shows so anything that adds capacity to music and theatre is very welcome.”

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Originally published as Moore Park Entertainment Quarter to be overhauled in mass development