What happens to Olympic parks once the curtains come down and the crowds go home?

After successfully hosting the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney Olympic Park today comes alive only on weekends and event nights. So is it delivering the benefits of the significant investment made to develop the mega infrastructure?

Owned by the New South Wales Government through the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA), Sydney Olympic Park was developed as a world-class sporting and events precinct for the 2000 Olympics. With the Government facing criticism about the absence of a master plan beyond the Olympic Games, SOPA was established in 2001 with the primary objective to transform the precinct into a thriving urban centre that would offer employment opportunities, residential communities, parklands, retail, services, schools, transport infrastructure and more.

In a research paper published in 2005, University of NSW emeritus professor of architecture and urbanism Helen Lochhead, who was then part of the team developing the master plan for Sydney Olympic Park, wrote that SOPA was established to direct the next phase of development at the Games site, with a brief to transform the precinct into... “an active and vibrant town centre within metropolitan Sydney while ensuring Sydney Olympic Park becomes: a premium destination for cultural, entertainment, recreation and sporting events; a place where new development demonstrates best practice in environmental and town planning standards; and, a place in which the natural heritage of the Millennium Parklands is protected and enhanced”.

The first master plan of 2002 limited the potential for the precinct’s development as a viable urban centre, according to Lochhead. Being town centre-focussed, the plan lacked integration with the surrounding areas. A new metropolitan strategy began to take shape, which envisaged Sydney as a multi-centred city with Sydney Olympic Park positioned as a key centre in the region.

Vision 2025, developed under Lochhead’s direction in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of urban designers, architects and landscape architects, transport planners, environmental and development experts, sought to reimagine the iconic precinct, while addressing major challenges including monumental buildings and large, open spaces more appropriate for events rather than day-to-day living. The lack of integration with neighbouring areas was resolved through appropriate land use strategies such as placing residential spaces adjoining parklands, creating new street and pathway connections, as well as developing new transport links and services.

However, the precinct’s subsequent developmental progress didn’t quite go according to plan, despite the Government’s best efforts. Master Plan 2030, considered the most significant planning announcement since the Games, aimed to activate the Sydney Olympic Park with 10,700 homes; 34,000 job opportunities; new education sites and local parks; 100,000m² of new retail space; new, walkable streets to improve access; and new buildings to create a lively entertainment hub.

Following the unveiling of Master Plan 2050 Vision in June 2022, the NSW Government is looking to realise a new strategy for the 640-hectare site – transforming the events-focused destination into “a thriving, activated community in the heart of the City’s growing western suburbs”.

Master Plan 2050 rolls out Sydney Olympic Park’s development roadmap for the next three decades, leveraging the much-improved access to the Park to position the precinct as an ideal location to live, work and play. Commute times are expected to improve, thanks to the proposed new station on the Sydney Metro West line between the Sydney and Parramatta CBDs as well as Stage 2 of Parramatta Light Rail, which will benefit residents of Parramatta.

“Sydney Olympic Park will be home to almost 24,000 people by 2030 and our vision is to make more than half of all housing diverse and affordable, with homes that meet the needs of the community,” SOPA CEO Leon Walker said.

“We heard loud and clear during community consultation that the focus on events and sport remains essential to the Park – but instead of a suburb that only comes alive during big events, people want the Park to be active day and night, weekdays and weekends, for locals and visitors alike,” Walker added.

As the precinct evolves, Sydney Olympic Park’s population is expected to grow to almost 29,000 by 2050 from the current 5,600+ residents.

“The Park will be a place energised every day, where great housing, daily services and infrastructure make life easy for the people that live there and where visitors will be captivated by world class sports, entertainment, and arts, giving them more reasons to linger longer and explore,” Walker noted.

At the recent Greater Parramatta & Olympic Peninsula Conference (GPOP) 2023, Planning Minister Paul Scully and Transport Minister Jo Haylen also shared their thoughts on Sydney Olympic Park’s planned transformation into a vibrant lifestyle precinct with diverse and affordable housing options, jobs, and improved connectivity.

“In 2050, Sydney Olympic Park will be a complex layered suburb offering a rich and varied range of experiences. Many will live and work here, others will visit for events, diverse attractions or for everyday retail and entertainment. Sydney Olympic Park will be a thriving suburb in the heart of Sydney,” states the Strategic Place Framework, which forms the strategic planning basis of the 2050 master plan.

If realised, Master Plan 2050 could help the NSW Government deliver on its vision by generating “the best social, economic, environmental and financial returns from its investment in Sydney Olympic Park”, as originally envisaged in 2001.

Image source: https://mysop.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/master-plan-2050