NSW Government go slow on Entertainment Quarter revealed

Twelve months after a breathless announcement from the NSW Government that plans to overhaul the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park were set to take flight, the promise remains nailed to the runway.

Aerial view of the Moore Park Entertainment Quarter, with the lease boundary is outlined in red.

Twelve months after a breathless announcement from the NSW Government that plans to overhaul the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park were set to take flight, the promise remains nailed to the runway.

Premier Chris Minns trumpeted last October how a tender process would commence for the long-term lease at the Entertainment Quarter, aimed at delivering a raft of new entertainment and dining options including an indoor arena that could host crowds of up to 20,000.

Saying the 11-hectare site was “falling far short of meeting its full potential”, he was adamant that “we want to turn the EQ into a thriving world-class precinct … complete with a brand new venue … for live music and public events”.

Magician Sam Hume and aerialist Kylie Simpson from Circus The Show at the Spiegeltent Entertainment Quarter in 2024. Picture: Tim Hunter

A government release at the time said the tender process would “run through next year” with Music and Night-Time Economy Minister, John Graham, adding: “I look forward to seeing the vision of the private sector to deliver on a much more ambitious use of this exciting site”.

But, a year on, no public tender has been issued.

The existing leaseholder is still waiting for the process to commence to lodge an Expression of Interest, hopefully secure an extension, and have the business case to invest heavily.

The Daily Telegraph has been told other consortia are also waiting in the wings.

As one industry insider offered: “There’ll be competition in this space for sure. It’s a beautiful site with the chance to do something special.”

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Carsingha Investments – a consortium of business leaders including Gerry Harvey and John Singleton – currently hold the lease. It expires in 2046. Another major corporate figure, Tony Shepherd, is chairman.

Mr Shepherd told this masthead in May 2023 that Carsingha had a $2 billion plan to redevelop the Entertainment Quarter but needed a new lease, extending beyond the 23 years then remaining on its control of the inner city precinct, to make large-scale investment viable.

Under the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act 2022, any lease - new or extended - can only be granted after going to public tender.

“We are looking at a multi-billion dollar investment and you cannot get that back in two weeks,” Mr Shepherd said two years ago.

“If you want private sector money you have to give them a reasonable term.”

Tony Shepherd at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Renee Zellweger at the Australian Premiere of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park in February. Picture: Jonathan Ng

He told the Telegraph this week: “We understand why the government needs to go to the market and we support them in regards that policy and legislation.

“We’ve been working on this now for a couple of years and we’re very eager to move forward and we think it’s a wonderful opportunity for Sydney and NSW.”

So why is the process still not open and private sector proposals not being warmly welcomed as Mr Minns and Mr Graham foreshadowed in October last year?

The Telegraph understands the delay is linked, in part, to how government would solve a potential dilemma if Carsingha failed to win the tender while holding the lease at the EQ for another two decades.

That scenario would risk development being put on hold until expiry of the Carsingha lease, or a settlement reached to have the consortium exit early.

A government spokesman shed little light on the situation.

“The NSW Government is committed to realising the full potential of the EQ at Moore Park by transforming it into a thriving world-class entertainment, creative, sports and leisure precinct that Sydney can be truly proud of,” a statement read.

“We will do this through an open tender process for a new long-term lease, which will allow the successful applicant to make the necessary investments to deliver on the Government’s desired vision and outcomes for the precinct.”

Aussie NBA legend Luc Longley was in Sydney to promote half court basketball at the Entertainment Quarter in 2024. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said “it’s time to turbocharge the process”.

“A rejuvenated Entertainment Quarter can and must be the beating heart of the entire precinct,” he added. “This is a golden opportunity to link the entertainment and sporting components of Sydney’s traditional playground.

“Realising the potential of the EQ would send a powerful signal that Sydney is a global city in name and deed.”

While the wait drags on, the desire to revive the EQ remains strong, fuelling hopes of returning the precinct to its glory days when the old Sydney Showground sat within its boundaries and hummed as a hub for major sports and events.

Champion woodchoppers are competing at the 1917 Royal Easter Show at the Royal Agricultural Society Showgrounds in Moore Park.

The Wallabies played more than 20 Tests there during the 1920s against South Africa, the All Blacks and NZ Maori. Rugby league grand finals were played at the Showground in the same decade and the first rugby league Test between Australia and Great Britain was hosted at the venue in 1910.

World Series Cricket had the Showground as its Sydney home when launching in the 19778-78 summer, harness racing and speedway were established tenants, while the venue boasted concert performances from the likes of Led Zeppelin, ABBA, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and KISS.

The precinct also staged the Royal Easter Show from 1882 to 1997.

Originally published as NSW Government go slow on Entertainment Quarter revealed