Parramatta Stadium Rebuild and other stuff

[Gronk]

Venues NSW said (when objecting to the original Eels Hotel SSD) that it was "competing function space".

 

[Suitman]

Venues NSW said (when objecting to the original Eels Hotel SSD) that it was "competing function space".

Well, f**k them.

 

[the phantom menace]

Panthers seem to get their various development proposals approved without contest...

 

[Gronk]

Well, f**k them.

To be fair, I think that they felt they had no choice because the business case presented to Treasury to build the stadium included an anticipated X days per year that the stadium would be used as a function space. IIRC there has already been accusations that the business case was fudged just to get the stadium built ?

 

[Gronk]

Sky News were hoping SO much that it was terrorism.

 

[Suitman]

That channel is so incredibly stupid

 

[Twizzle]

Revamp Planned for ‘Eyesore’ Parramatta Leagues Club

CLARE BURNETT WED 27 MAR 24

View attachment 85748

Plans have been filed to modify the historic but much-maligned Parramatta Leagues Club.

In addition to an already approved 156-seat restaurant, the club is asking to add an internal gaming area and another alfresco games room as well as amenities on the lower ground floor.

External alterations include a new facade feature wall “to improve the vibrancy of the building” and a roof over the internal alfresco gaming area.

Accoding to the club, this will allow it to use underutilised space within the existing footprint of the building.

It will also establish a new entry foyer to the VIP gaming area.

The proposal also seeks to install 69 new gaming machines, bringing its total to 492 machines of a permitted 520 entitlement.

Gaming machines in clubs have faced increased scrutiny in recent years and NSW has been pressured to follow Victoria in tightening regulations.

From July 1, Responsible Gambling Officers (RGOs) will be introduced to licensed venues as part of a suite of gaming reforms being implemented to “promote proactive gambling harm minimisation”, according to the NSW Government.

Founded in 1959, the Parramatta Leagues Club was dubbed “the house that Jack built” after its two founding partners, Jack Argent and Jack Boyle, launched it to support the Eels rugby league club.

This would be the latest in a series of major upgrades to the club with first floor alterations and additions carried out in in 2021 after major storm damage in 2019.

After its new look was unveiled in 2022, however, locals criticised it as “the ugliest building in the Greater Sydney region” and an “eyesore”.

The site is also subject to a State Significant Development Application seeking to redevelop the at-grade carpark to build a 17-storey hotel with a cafe, pool, fitness centre and function room.

The $140-million plans have faced opposition from some quarters, including Venues NSW, which runs the neighbouring Bankwest Stadium.

The long assessment time and other difficulties the plans are facing reflect the same struggles other clubs have faced in recent years.

Revamp Planned for ‘Eyesore’ Parramatta Leagues Club

Gaming rooms and a new facade are planned for the Parramatta Leagues Club, currently embattled over a 17-storey hotel…

www.theurbandeveloper.com

Is that concrete cube really much more asthetically pleasing than the current one ?

I get that it needs an upgrade but I think to say the old one was an eyesore and needed to be replaced with this eyesore is a bit of a stretch

Do the fans really care what it looks like of its modernised and refurbished ?

 

[Gronk]

Out of the blue the hoardings on the western end of Martin Place platform are down and the subterranean access to the Metro is ready to go.

 

[Suitman]

Out of the blue the hoardings on the western end of Martin Place platform are down and the subterranean access to the Metro is ready to go.

View attachment 86014

Cool. Getting so close to opening.

It'll look a damn sight better than that on the other side of that roller shutter, that's for sure.

 

[King-Gutho94]

Future Western Sydney: Calls to turn Parramatta into the west’s ‘Time Square’ amid night-life overhaul​

Western Sydney is pulling the pin on the party at midnight, with new analysis showing the yawning gap between the number of late-night venues in the city’s west compared to the east.

Liquor and Gaming NSW records show the Sydney CBD has more than seven times as many venues with licences to operate until 3am compared to Parramatta, and nearly 11 times as many as Penrith – where every late-night haunt is a pub, sports club or RSL.

Michael Rodrigues, the 24-hour economy commissioner tasked with revitalising the city’s night-life. said there is “no doubt” venues still face challenges getting the right permits from local councils.

The state government, Mr Rodrigues said, is trying to “create the right conditions” for private enterprise but admitted western Sydney is still a “work in progress”.

Renders indicating how the vision of the future of the Parramatta CBD might look in images developed by Genton, in collaboration with Grumpy Sailor.

“Some councils simply aren’t engaged … and if you don’t have a plan then it’s harder for you to have good night-life hubs.”

It comes as business voices say new infrastructure presents a unique opportunity to address the lack of 24-hour precincts in the west, with a new proposal suggesting the yet-to-be-built Parramatta Metro station could be turned into western Sydney’s own ‘Times Square’.

Design firm The Grumpy Sailor and architects Genton – who helped design the new Parramatta Powerhouse – have released a new vision for the area, which they say would stop the 5pm daily exodus of workers from Parramatta Square.

The firms have co-released a report titled Transforming Parramatta: A vision for Urban Renewal, pumping up the need for high-density housing and more entertainment venues centred around the Metro stop to create a 24-hour economy in Sydney’s second CBD.

“There’s been a lot of investment around Parramatta in major buildings, the Metro and (CommBank) stadium, but what we want is a genuine mixed use precinct with affordable housing and a night-time economy,” Genton’s Steven Toia said.

Business Western Sydney’s David Borger said the Parramatta plan represented a chance for the region to get a New York-style Times Square – “an exciting entertainment district that stays up late”.

“We’ve done night-time economy poorly in the past – and now we’ve got a chance for the Parramatta Metro stop to be an area with multiple entertainment venues,” he said.

“At the moment the Parramatta Metro site (looks like) an open-cut mine – but in the future it can be the Times Square of western Sydney.”

Night Time Industries Association CEO Michael Gibb added visions like that had to have local councils on board, who had the power to do more to foster night-life in their areas.

“From industry there’s certainly willingness to step up and try different things … and that is largely because there’s been the right support from the state government,” he said.

“But where the rubber really hits the road is at the local government level, and then again in some of the components of bureaucracy within government.”

1980s-themed dive bar Elton Chong is one of few late-night operators in Penrith’s city centre, having finally acquired a 2am license last month through the state government’s uptown accelerator program.

Co-owner Wayne Jenkins said while the state government has “tried to give us a little boost” the local council can be “a bit reserved” when it comes to night-life and live music, contributing to a “pretty tedious and pretty long” approval process.

“I lived in London for three and a half years, where no matter where you go, there’s always something to do 24/7 – and that’s missing in Sydney,” Mr Jenkins said.

Renders indicating how the vision of the future of the Parramatta CBD might look — renders developed by Genton, in collaboration with Grumpy Sailor.
It comes as young people cry out for more after-dark options in their suburbs.

Westmead resident Tiffany Yang, 20, said the best local parties are often held in “empty parking lots” due to the lack of night-life options.

“When I still lived at home with my parents it felt like the entirety of Western Sydney was going to this one bar in Cabramatta, and that was it – that was our only option. It was that, or stay home,” she said.

“The inner west is seen as artsy and the CBD has most of the clubs, but the west is untapped – it’s such a creative place full of creative people, and sometimes we’re under-represented.”

Belinda Coorey and Marissa Makhlouf, both 18, also wanted more night-life in Parramatta.

“There are good dinner spots, but not so much clubs or night-life,” Ms Coorey said.

Ms Makhlouf said her “go-to” venues are east-Sydney nightclubs like the Coogee Pavilion and SeaDeck, with Parramatta lacking locations with “a good DJ, good music, good vibes … somewhere you can dress up for”.

Parramatta-based mates Jennah Hernandez, 21, and Jobie Moradon, 22, both said they’d love to go-out near their home suburb.

But both highlighted the lack of nightclubs – a rite of passage for any early 2os socialite – in their local area, as well as the early closing hours of those that already exist.

“We don’t have that many clubs here, and the clubs that I have been to aren’t the greatest … the vibe is very confronting … as a girl,” Ms Hernandez said.

Ms Moradon highlighted the early closure times as a major downer on a night out.

“I would love a place locally to go out to and have a fun night, but night-life in Western Sydney is very quiet … everything closes by ten o’clock,” Ms Moradon added.

Applejack Hospitality co-founder Hamish Watts said the success of night-life precincts will depend on buy-in from the public, to prove to venue operators that the risk is worth taking.

“They need to embrace the operators that are going in,” he said.

“Go and have a look, because there’s some really awesome stuff that’s happening, and the narrative needs to change.”

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/future-western-sydney-calls-to-turn-parramatta-into-the-wests-time-square-amid-nightlife-overhaul/news-story/aa7c751f3583a8eea21b4a08cf8c104a

 

[the phantom menace]

They should get the Roxy back up to speed and use it as a night club when the Metro station opens, conveniently right next door.

 

[JokerEel]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/state-government-starts-feasibility-study-about-building-300m-roof-over-sydneys-biggest-venue/news-story/c61993e319b26af4209a5201a5af2838

How to waste 300 million dollars...

It's a shit stadium knock it down rebuild it..

80-90k seats piss off the oval crap

 

[Suitman]

So, I'm curious to know who is going to get the Roxy back up to speed?
Yes. It is adjacent to this amazing laneway that is going to be developed from Parramatta Square to the new Riverside Museum, past the new metro station and its abundance of offices, residential and food and beverage options. A massive improvement to this area of the city.
Parramatta actually had a developer on board prepared to revitalise the Roxy. A developer that was prepared to pour hundreds of millions of $$ into the site. Yet it was scampered at every stage, simply because to make it economically viable, a small residential or commercial tower was planned to be built at its southern end.
The plans were amazing and would have restored the Roxy to its former glory. A proper theatre for Parramatta in an entertainment precinct
f**king destroyed by NIMBYS, not happy about the tower.
Sadly, the owner (and proposed developer) has walked away.

 

[the phantom menace]

So who owns it now, if the owner has walked away? Or is it for sale to a willing buyer? I guess that's the answer to who is going to seize the opportunity...

And was it heritage concerns that stopped the proposed tower addition - or did the planned tower breach of other planning laws?

We know it's not that hard to get around such matters using the state significant planning pathway - just look at Willow Grove, and numerous other developments that have forged ahead. So that does make me critically wonder about this owner/developer walking away...

 

[Gronk]

So, I'm curious to know who is going to get the Roxy back up to speed?
Yes. It is adjacent to this amazing laneway that is going to be developed from Parramatta Square to the new Riverside Museum, past the new metro station and its abundance of offices, residential and food and beverage options. A massive improvement to this area of the city.
Parramatta actually had a developer on board prepared to revitalise the Roxy. A developer that was prepared to pour hundreds of millions of $$ into the site. Yet it was scampered at every stage, simply because to make it economically viable, a small residential or commercial tower was planned to be built at its southern end.
The plans were amazing and would have restored the Roxy to its former glory. A proper theatre for Parramatta in an entertainment precinct
f**king destroyed by NIMBYS, not happy about the tower.
Sadly, the owner (and proposed developer) has walked away.

Listen to the owner here.

What does future hold for Parramatta Roxy Theatre? - ABC listen

Hear from the horse's mouth.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Suitman]

So, we've had some rain today.
Here is the current state of the Sydney rail system, as of 10 minutes ago.
What is working properly and what is not. Lol.

 

[the phantom menace]

All f**king Jo Haylen's fault?

 

[Suitman]

You said that, not me. What happened today had nothing to do with her.
What it does show however is how antiquated the Sydney rail system is.
A bit of rain and it falls to pieces. Despite having drivers and guards.
Yet the driverless metro continues to perform faultlessly.
Thank goodness that the previous govt went down the metro path for new infrastructure. Modern technology that is more reliable. Surely even you can agree with that, putting aside your clear political allegiances?
It's a no brainer.

 

[Suitman]

Check this out.
Technolgy that leaves slow Sydney double deckers for dead.
Why would anyone want a system that can't handle a bit of rain and not want 100 km/h metro trains?

 

[the phantom menace]

You said that, not me. What happened today had nothing to do with her.

No worries, it was a joke

Modern technology that is more reliable. Surely even you can agree with that, putting aside your clear political allegiances? It's a no brainer.

Yep, modern transport infrastructure performs better than historical transport infrastructure.

(And they're simply political views or opinions, not allegiances - I'm not a member of any political party.)