VISION FOR SYDNEY STADIUM

“Today successful cities, old or young, attract smart entrepreneurial people, in part, by being urban theme parks.”- Edward Glasear, Triumph of the City.

The Coliseum in Rome established the concept of the stadium as a public space embedded in the fabric of the city; a monumental piece of infrastructure for public spectacle. In modern times however with the advent of the motor vehicle and the suburbs, stadiums became mono-functional objects, isolated on the periphery of the city and surrounded by car parking.

Today a renaissance is underway, with stadiums once again being integrated into the city fabric and acting as catalysts of urban renewal. Stadiums, such as Camden Yards in Baltimore and Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, are anchors for entertainment districts and have reintroduced urban spectacle into our cities.

The NSW State Government has proposed to demolish the Moore Park Stadium due to the cost of upgrades to meet code compliance. It is proposed to replace the stadium with a new stadium on the same site. There has been broad public opposition to the proposal based on the wasteful use of government funds to demolish and rebuild.

While we support the Governments investment in contemporary cultural infrastructure as an integral part of creating a Global City, we believe the current proposal does not maximise the investment of Government funds, not create the multiplier effect of investment one expects from Government Investment.

There are three main issues with the proposal:

1. The Moore Park Stadium is not well serviced by public transport and its location is not accessible for people living in Western Sydney

PICTURED1/ Central Station - proposed2/ Central Station - existing 1

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INVESTMENT IN CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF CREATING A GLOBAL CITY

“Sport is now a global commodity.”- David Adam, Principal and Founder, Global Cities & Future London

2. The Moore Park Stadium does not have the surrounding entertainment and hospitality venues to extend the game experience and maximise visitor expenditure.

3. The redevelopment is not catalyse wider economic benefits from urban or infrastructural renewal.

As an alternative we propose that Moore Park Stadium’s replacement be built over Central Station’s railyard; creating the benefits of public transport accessibility, catalysing the development of the railyards to connect Surry Hills to Chippendale, and having broader economic benefits for the state, the city and surrounding neighbourhood.

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SRailway square bus terminal

Central station metro

Suburban rail lines

CBD-Randwick light rail

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B

S

L

Public transport connections

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L

B

SRailway square bus terminal

Central station metro

Suburban rail lines

CBD-Randwick light rail

M

B

S

L

Public transport connections

M

L

B

S

Stadium accessible by public transportStadium circulation re-connects the surrounding neighbourhoods

Surry Hills

Chippendale

Darlington

CBD

M

L

B

SRailway square bus terminal

Central station metro

Suburban rail lines

CBD-Randwick light rail

M

B

S

L

Public transport connections

M

L

B

S

Stadium accessible by public transport

M

L

B

SRailway square bus terminal

Central station metro

Suburban rail lines

CBD-Randwick light rail

M

B

S

L

Public transport connections

M

L

B

S

Stadium accessible by public transportStadium circulation re-connects the surrounding neighbourhoods

Surry Hills

Chippendale

Darlington

CBD

Stadium anchors development opportunities

MAJOR EVENTS AND URBAN SPECTACLEEmbedding the stadium in the fabric of the city enhances the experience of attending sporting events by the dramatic effect of the city as an urban spectacle. The spillover benefit is that the broadcasting of major events will be promoting Sydney as a destination to broader audiences.

Crowds from major events will have a multiplier effect on the economy of Sydney as people access surrounding entertainment and hospitality venues in the city, capturing the additional revenue potential of major events; which is currently lost in the Moore Park location.

VALUE CAPTUREThe NSW Government has a highly valuable land holding in the Central Railyards; which should have demonstrable public as well as economic benefits for the State. Unfortunately the high cost of ‘creating’ the land over the railyards means the economic return from the sale of the land will be low.

Instead we propose that the development rights for Central Railyards be provided in return for the construction of a new stadium. A public-private partnership will be created with a developer to deliver a stadium in return for development rights over the Railyards. Not only does this off-set the cost of the stadium to Government, it also provides a revenue generating attractor to catalyse further development, creating value for the state and the developer.

URBAN RENEWALA stadium over Central Railyards would create an ideal link between Surry Hills and Chippendale; reconnecting the two sides of the railway lines that have long been disconnected, and facilitating a new urban fabric across the railyards.

Stadium’s are an anchor for additional uses that are compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood. Today stadiums are anchors for entertainment districts, attracting hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars. These uses create lively day/night precincts, and thus in turn attract commercial tenants who are seeking vibrant precincts with high transport accessibility to locate their offices.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONNECTIONSStadiums are required to be accessible to vast numbers of people in a short period of time. As Sydney continues to expand it population public transport will increasingly play a critical role in mobility in the city. Central Station is the most accessible public transport node in NSW, and would thus offer the most publicly accessible location for a major stadium.

Central Station is surrounded by public transport options. To the west is the Railway Square Bus Terminal. The suburban heavy rails lines run through Central Sation, as well as being the terminus for the Country Rail. Importantly the location also capitalises on the NSW Government’s investment in transport infrastructure with the new Metro Station, and the Light Rail line both being implemented at Central.

THE RELOCATION OF MOORE PARK STADIUM TO CENTRAL STATION RAILYARDS HAS THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR SYDNEY & NSW:

“You cannot separate the buildings out from the infrastructure of cities and the mobility of transport” - Lord Norman Foster

Public transport connections

Stadium accessible by public transport Stadium anchors development opportunities

Stadium circulation re-connects the surrounding neighbourhood

Finally of course there are benefits for the existing Moore Park Stadium, which can continue to operate during construction of the new stadium without interruption; and upon completion the Moore Park Stadium and surrounding carpark can be returned to public parklands. Restoring Moore Park to its original size and replacing parkland lost to the light rail line will have immeasurable public benefits to the local community.

More Park for Moore Park!

PICTURED1/ Moore Park - proposed2/ Moore Park - existing 1

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MORE PARK FOR MOORE PARK