The NSW government will release a draft strategy for the long-awaited Hunter Park sports, entertainment and residential precinct early next year.
The news comes after Premier Chris Minns and Planning Minister Paul Scully announced on Thursday that the government had lodged a rezoning application for housing at the 68-hectare Macquarie Park precinct in Sydney's north-west.
The Hunter Park project was delayed this year after the Premier referred Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp to the Independent Commission Against Corruption over his alleged failure to disclose his extended family's property interests at Broadmeadow.
A subsequent review found decision-making processes and governance of Hunter Park were not compromised by Mr Crakanthorp's alleged breach of the ministerial code of conduct.
The Newcastle Herald understands agencies involved in planning for Hunter Park met late last month to progress the precinct strategy, which includes nearby land in Broadmeadow earmarked for housing.
Newcastle council staff have been involved in public consultation on the strategy, but government departmental staff have been working on myriad technical reports.
The Department of Planning told the Herald on Thursday that the "draft place strategy" was due to go on public exhibition in "early 2024", raising hopes the project will finally get off the ground after six years of stalled consultation, market-sounding and business cases.
The Macquarie Park rezoning, which was preceded by a 20-year place strategy, offers a blueprint for how Hunter Park could be redeveloped.
The land is zoned for commercial buildings, but the government rezoning proposal will allow developers to build up to 3060 apartments, or 5040 build-to-rent units, instead of commercial real estate.
A master plan accompanying the Macquarie Park rezoning proposal includes eight hectares of public open space, a large multi-purpose indoor recreation centre and walking and cycling paths.
The new public open space would include play areas, sports fields, fitness stations, BBQ areas, picnic tables and shelters.
The government said the proposed Macquarie Park Innovation Precinct Stage 1 was in a "well located part of Sydney" bounded by two train stations.
The vision for Macquarie Park bears more than a passing resemblance to plans for the 63-hectare, government-owned Hunter Park site, which is slated for 2600 apartments, a hotel and new sports and entertainment venues.
Hunter Park is next door to Broadmeadow train station and flanked on three sides by major arterial roads.
The Herald understands the broader Broadmeadow precinct could accommodate significantly more apartments than Macquarie Park.
A Venues NSW business case, revealed by the Newcastle Herald last year, promoted a new 11,000-seat indoor arena to replace the ageing Newcastle Entertainment Centre as the first stage of the Hunter Park redevelopment.
Hunter Park is at the top of Newcastle council's state investment wish list and has been on Infrastructure Australia's priority list since 2021.
Groups such as the Committee for the Hunter see Hunter Park as a significant response to the housing supply and affordability crisis in the Hunter and Sydney.
Committee chief executive Alice Thompson said on Thursday that it was "fantastic to see this level of ambition, determination and action from the NSW government" to revitalise Macquarie Park.
"It's just the kind of decisiveness capable of being deployed on Hunter Park and Broadmeadow rezoning, offering a similar scale of benefits," she said.
"We look forward to seeing such an announcement here soon."
The Lower Hunter representative on the Greater Cities Commission, Matt Endacott, said Broadmeadow was "one of the best sites for new homes in Australia".
"At Broadmeadow there's a major railway station, a stadium and hundreds of acres of good land sitting between the city and John Hunter Hospital," he said.
"Light rail extension from the city could also allow it to take more homes than first thought."
Mr Endacott said Macquarie Park could "inform work on similar sites across the Hunter".
"Focusing on places like Macquarie Park is a good approach," he said.
"We're in a housing crisis and we need more homes close to where people work. We also need to make better use of existing infrastructure like railway lines and bus routes.
"Broadmeadow, north-west Lake Macquarie and East Maitland could all take a lot more homes.
"My hope is that we learn something from Macquarie Park's renewal to get these places moving.
"Each of these precincts have existing railway stations and are either close to jobs or are suitable for mixed-use developments."
Mr Minns said the government was "constantly searching for ways to ease our housing crisis" and Macquarie Park "could help".
"More and more, we will ensure the construction of new homes happens in places with great transport links," he said.
"We need to take full advantage of the investments our state's taxpayers make into public transport.
"Proposals like this are important to change the trajectory of the housing supply crisis."
Mr Scully said the state needed more housing in established areas to "improve affordability, reduce infrastructure costs and limit the burden on taxpayers".
"This rezoning is an opportunity to deliver more homes on the doorstep of the CBD and near well connected public transport, including the new Macquarie Park metro station," he said.
"We want to see density in precincts like this be part of Sydney's future, supporting homes and jobs that are accessible to everyone in the community."
