Revealed: The plan to fix Parramatta’s ‘other’ side

Parramatta’s city blocks south of its busy train station will be turned into a fresh public square, revitalised dining spaces and new Chinatown strip under a council plan to rebalance development in the CBD.

City of Parramatta councillors on Monday night approved a master plan for two blocks of land on the underdeveloped side of the city that has been mostly neglected since Parramatta Square’s construction in 2022. Some street improvement work will begin this year, while the council says the plan could take up to 15 years to complete.

The council has split the southern part of the CBD into two areas, divided by Church Street, and has released a plan for the eastern side, near the entrance of the train station.

Chinatown down Church Street In a proposed new precinct on Church Street, described in the plan as a high street, the council hopes a declared Chinatown precinct , with pedestrian barriers removed, trees planted and additional lighting and decorations, will encourage visitors to local Asian restaurants.

New arcades The small lanes snaking through buildings and around the council-owned car park in the mid-southern part of the city would become dining laneways – contingent entirely on private building owners choosing to take part. In Rivoli Way, for instance, it would require a new building.

New public plaza The vision is for an empty block of land and the council’s car park to be transformed into a new office block up to 20 storeys high and a public space, Woodhouse Square, taking its name from the laneway.

The council plans to move the current car park underground, “subject to future feasibility testing and detailed design”, and says there will be no net loss in parking.

The plans also indicate the council would occupy the office block – despite the council having bought the site next door for its offices for $64 million in 2021.

Train station entrance updated The plan will turn Fitzwilliam Street, the entrance to the train station, into a one-way street with added bike lanes and more kiss-and-drop spots.

The master plan defines what is possible or allowed by the council, but it will be up to private landholders and developers to enact much of it. There’s no word on how long this would take or whether developers are keen to invest in the area. According to the council, there was mostly positive feedback to the draft plan from landholders.

Scentre Group, the owner of Westfield, raised concerns about possible traffic impacts, as well as the viability of some of the council’s plans for arcades.

For years, the state government’s goal of increasing the number of homes in well-located areas has been clashing with the council’s goal of developing Parramatta’s CBD as an economic powerhouse.

The council in May succeeded in having the city centre excluded from the Housing Delivery Authority , the controversial fast-tracking system for large amounts of homes.