Singo to sell out of Entertainment Quarter as it prepares for revamp
Zoe Samios
veteran John Singleton is planning to sell his stake in Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter (EQ) as the sprawling precinct progresses with plans to build a 20,000-seat indoor arena.
Singleton and several high-profile business figures, including Gerry Harvey and Mark Carnegie paid $80 million in 2014 to lease the EQ until at least 2036.
The Moore Park Entertainment Quarter was leased by John Singleton and other high-profile businessmen for $80 million in 2014. Brook Mitchell
Singleton’s 10 per cent stake is expected to be sold to Oak View Group, an American entertainment company founded by businessman Tim Leiweke, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity to speak publicly.
Leiweke was pardoned by US President Donald Trump last December, after being indicted in July 2025. The indictment had accused Leiweke of conspiring with a competitor to rig the bidding process to develop the $US375 million ($535 million) Moody Centre, a 15,000-seat arena at the University of Texas at Austin, which hosts music and sports events.
Singleton confirmed his plans to sell out. “[The EQ] can’t work in our lifetime,” the 84-year-old said. The John Singleton Group declined to comment further.
How much Singleton plans to sell his position for is unclear. The consortium, known as Carsingha Investments, paid $80 million for a long-term lease, valuing Singleton’s stake at about $8 million.
Other directors of Carsingha include Harvey Norman chief executive Katie Page, billionaire investor Robert Whyte, former Mirvac chief executive Greg Paramor and philanthropist Penny Mapp.
John Singleton purchased the lease to the Entertainment Quarter with fellow businessmen Gerry Harvey and Mark Carnegie in 2014. Sam Mooy
Harvey owns about 20 per cent, while Carnegie and Whyte own about 10 per cent each.
When the group purchased the lease in 2014, they believed there was a major opportunity to upgrade the retail and entertainment area.
“There is about 26,000 square metres that can be redeveloped, and we will look at all options, including a hotel, pubs, serviced apartments and an updated retail sector,” Harvey said in 2014. The EQ has since revamped some of its food and beverage offerings, but plans for a major refurbishment never eventuated.
In 2019, Carsingha lodged an unsolicited $2 billion proposal to redevelop the site that involved the creation of office towers, a luxury hotel and a small music venue. It withdrew those plans in 2022 when new legislation – the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act – meant any new lease would go to open tender.
When NSW Premier Chris Minns took office in 2023, the focus shifted to a redevelopment that would benefit the creative and music scene. In late 2024 the government secured a “conditional break clause” from Carsingha, which allowed it to go to open tender for a potential developer.
The NSW government issued that tender in October, calling for more entertainment and creative spaces, including a 15,000- to 20,000-seat arena as part of a new 99-year lease. It said it was open to special purpose accommodation for students or employees of film, television and creative industries.
Carsingha is one of at least two parties competing for a new 99-year lease – the other is reportedly Plenary Group. If a better bid comes along, Carsingha can be bought out of its current lease.
The redevelopment is happening alongside the conversion of 20 hectares of nearby Moore Park Golf Course land, which is due to start later this year.
The expected purchase of Singleton’s stake by Oak View Group is significant because it points to the long-term ambitions of the precinct’s current leaseholders.
The potential suitor OVG has had a longstanding relationship with live entertainment company Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster.
Leiweke and his daughter Francesca, the former COO of Oak View Group, toured the Entertainment Quarter last year, but discussions about the sale were put on pause because of the US indictment.
Oak View Group did not respond to a request for comment.
The advertising veteran was part of a consortium that paid $80 million to lease the precinct in 2014, which included businessmen Gerry Harvey and Mark Carnegie.
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