Premier Chris Minns to demolish iconic greyhound track for new sporting fields
Premier Chris Minns has announced Wentworth Park greyhound track will be razed in 2027, ending almost 90 years of racing to make way for community sporting fields and thousands of homes.
One of Sydney’s oldest greyhound racing tracks will be bulldozed for community sporting fields to support up to 7300 new homes in inner Sydney.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the City of Sydney will be forced to host festivals and other community gatherings at the new 13ha site, overturning Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s ban on hosting major events in council parks due to climate change.
In a move set to anger members of the greyhound racing industry, Premier Chris Minns has announced he will demolish the 3.3-ha Wentworth Park Sporting Complex in 2027, to make way for new community sporting fields.
The surrounding land will be rezoned for an extra 2500 new homes, bringing the total number of new dwellings in the Ultimo-Pyrmont area to 7300.
The 14ha site will remain in public hands, providing new green space and community sporting fields for the growing inner Sydney precinct.
The announcement confirms a plan, first revealed by The Saturday Telegraph last month, to raze the track for new housing.
It will force Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) to find a new home in Sydney, ending almost 90 years of racing at Wentworth Park.
Mr Minns conceded the decision would spark anger among the industry.
“We recognise Wentworth Park holds deep history and meaning for many people, and we know some will be disappointed by this change,” he said.
However, he said the state government had a “responsibility” to plan for the future.
“This is how we build a fairer and more balanced Sydney,” he said.
To soften the blow, the Minns government will allocate $10m over four years to a program to upgrade other tracks.
But GRSNW chief executive Steve Griffin described that as a “meagre” and “ludicrous” offering.
He said the organisation was “totally stunned” by the decision and accused the government of “closing the industry by stealth”.
“We want all our tracks upgraded, but we need a metropolitan racetrack and we don’t want the taxpayer to fund it,” he said.
“We just want a fair share of the money we are earning and then we could rebuild a great metropolitan racing precinct to replace Wentworth Park.
“The funding being offered doesn’t even cover one month of lost wagering revenue which would occur when the industry loses Wentworth Park.”
GRNSW had been seeking a five-year extension to its current lease.
While the industry blasted the government’s decision, Committee for Sydney chief executive Eamon Waterford lauded the announcement as “fantastic for Sydney”.
“(It) represents a triple-bottom line result: a win for housing affordability, a win for inner-city sports players and a win for the greyhound industry,” he said.
“Glebe, Pyrmont and Ultimo are exactly where we should be putting greater density – more homes, more amenity, more sporting fields, right next to a metro station and world-class fish markets with a light rail right on its doorstep.
“Ultimately this means density done well for Sydney.”
Management of the new parkland will be transferred to the City of Sydney when the current greyhound racing lease expires.
However, a condition of the transfer will be that Ms Moore’s council holds festivals and other major events at the site.
The Telegraph revealed in May that councillors had voted to reaffirm a ban on using council parks for major events to protect the grass.
The policy, first imposed in a “Lord Mayoral Minute”, was noted that major events were creating “significant damage” to council parks because of climate change.
Failing to allow festivals and major events could result in the state government seizing back control of the new parks.
Bulldozing the greyhound track will allow land around the park to be rezoned to support higher-density housing.
Planning Minister Paul Scully said the NSW government was prepared to step in to lead the rezoning if needed.
The decision is reminiscent of the government’s failed attempt at turning Rosehill Racecourse into a 25,000-home mini-city, a plan that was ultimately voted down by Australian Turf Club members.
In this case, however, the government does not need to put the plan to a vote.
Meanwhile, developer Mirvac has been announced as the “preferred tenderer” to build homes at the old Sydney Fish Market site.
Construction of 1400 homes including 580 student housing units is set to begin by early 2027, subject to planning approval.
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Originally published as Premier Chris Minns to demolish iconic greyhound track for new sporting fields
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