Accommodation New Zealand introduces
The New South Wales government has released updated renders of the existing Sydney Fish Market site and its surrounds at Blackwattle Bay, set to be transformed into a mixed-use precinct. The project includes 7,300 new apartments, along with 14 hectares of consolidated parkland and new multipurpose sporting facilities that would replace the city's existing greyhound racecourse at Wentworth Park.
The proposal follows the recent completion of the new Sydney Fish Market, designed by 3XN with BVN and Aspect Studios, which is set to open on 19 January 2026. With the current greyhound lease at the neighbouring Wentworth Park due to expire in September 2027, the NSW government's plans involve demolishing the existing racecourse facilities and transferring the land to the City of Sydney for redevelopment.
Under the plans, the 3.3-hectare Wentworth Park Sporting Complex precinct would be converted into community sporting fields and public green space. According to a media release from the NSW government, the consolidated parkland site would be made available for hosting the current sporting uses of the park, as well as festivals and community events.
The NSW government notes, "The 14-hectare [Wentworth Park] site will remain in public hands to help meet the housing and recreational needs of the growing Ultimo-Pyrmont area, just 1.5 kilometres from Sydney's CBD."
"We understand the significance of Wentworth Park to many people," the government's release reads. "But our city must adapt to meet the needs of our changing and growing city and this plan ensures new homes, new green space and a shared public asset for generations to come."
Infrastructure NSW's chief executive Tom Gellibrand commented, "This project will offer places to live and work alongside spaces to walk, cycle and relax, reconnecting Pyrmont and Glebe with Sydney Harbour."
In addition, the government's proposed rezoning of the area surrounding the parkland would accommodate up to 2,500 new dwellings. Reflecting on this plan, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully commented, "Our city is changing, and we have a responsibility to make sure people can live near the jobs, education and transport they rely on. We'll continue working closely with the City of Sydney to deliver this rezoning in a timely way, and we're ready to step in with a state-led rezoning if it's needed."
The rezoning would allow for 2,500 new homes in addition to the 4,800 apartments already planned or approved nearby. Among these are 1,400 apartments on the old Sydney Fish Market site, for which Mirvac has been newly named as the preferred developer.
The plans for the old fish market site renewal, developed by Oculus and Woods Bagot, comprise 580 student accommodation dwellings, along with commercial and retail spaces. Along the foreshore, the scheme includes a 2.6-hectare public domain envisaged as "an outdoor living room" for the community, with a central pedestrian lane, cycleways, a skatepark, community kayak storage and a pavilion. A new promenade is also planned to link the 15-kilometre walk from Rozelle Bay to Woolloomooloo.
Minister for Lands and Property Stephen Kamper said, "We are turning a once‑industrial waterfront into a lively neighbourhood and opening a long‑closed foreshore and stitching in parks, promenades, and a continuous harbour walk for everyone to enjoy."
The old fish market site has been in planning since 2021, with an original vision by FJMT Studio comprising 1,500 apartments across 12 towers of up to 45 storeys high. The scheme was revised in 2022, reducing building heights to 35 storeys and decreasing density in response to public concerns over lack of affordable housing and shared spaces.
The current redevelopment plans for the fish market site are set to commence construction in early 2027, subject to planning approvals. Works on the housing component are expected to be complete in 2028 and the entire site redevelopment finished in 2033.
