Proposals are being sought that will deliver more visitors, more live performances, and more events at Entertainment Quarter, the former Sydney Showgrounds site.
The NSW Government is also seeking proposals that would deliver additional creative spaces such as a new indoor space that could host substantial audiences of up to 15,000 – 20,000 people, for live performances and public events.
The EQ is one of Sydney’s key entertainment and sports precincts, and a hub for creative industries, but it is currently underutilised considering its prime location between Centennial Park, the SCG and Allianz Stadium and its proximity to the CBD via light rail.
The NSW Government is determined to ensure EQ’s history as the venue for some of Sydney’s biggest events, including the start of World Series cricket and the old Royal Easter Show, is honoured in transformation to a world-class entertainment precinct that Sydney can be proud of.
The current lease over the site has a maximum lease term expiring in 2046 and while no decision has been made in relation to the existing lease, this open tender process will allow all parties to put forward proposals to redevelop the precinct.
The open tender process will commence in the near-term and will look beyond the next decade to a proposal that supports long-term investment, with the tender process to run through next year.
The tender process will seek bids that deliver on key precinct and infrastructure upgrades and support increased use of the precinct while supporting better integration with the broader sports and entertainment precinct and parklands while retaining the site as a public space.
Through a long-term lease we have an opportunity to secure the Entertainment Quarter’s future and deliver the revitalisation the site needs.
This builds on work already undertaken by the NSW Government with the announcement of Vibrancy Reforms set to be debated in Parliament this week, that are aimed tackling red tape that has destroyed nightlife and entertainment by bringing vibrancy back to New South Wales.
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
“The Entertainment Quarter is in one of Australia’s best entertainment precincts, however it is falling far short of meeting its full potential.
“We want to turn the EQ into a thriving world-class precinct, full of dining and entertainment options, complete with a brand new venue that can host between 15,000 – 20,000 for live music and public events.
“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 6 months.
“From cutting through red tape that has decimated Sydney’s nightlife to getting visitors and entertainment back into the city with projects this like this, we’re focussed on turning Sydney into the best entertainment destination in the world.”
Minister for Music and the Night-Time Economy John Graham said:
“The Entertainment Quarter’s potential currently outweighs its offerings. In short, we want more entertainment in this precinct, more people visiting and much more activation of what has always been a special place in Sydney right back to the days of the Showgrounds and the heyday of the Hordern Pavilion.
“The creation of a live performance area that can host 15,000 – 20,000 people is central to this vision, particularly as the Minns Labor Government pursues its agenda to grow live music back from the brink.
“A revitalised Entertainment Quarter fits the objective of the Vibrancy Reforms we are enacting, the 24-Hour Economy Strategy and the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy Review. This place should be an experience that keeps visitors coming back again and again.
“I look forward to seeing the vision of the private sector to deliver on a much more ambitious use of this exciting site.”
