Parramatta's city centre will get a housing and student accommodation boost just footsteps from the world class Metro West, with 470 homes and 500 student units set to be delivered by the consortium contracted to build the Metro station and integrated development.
The $880 million contract to design and construct the Parramatta Metro station, precinct and developments above and adjacent to the station has been awarded to a consortium led by Gamuda Engineering, involving Gamuda and MTR Corporation.
The new plans would increase residential dwellings from 111 to 970, compared to concept plan approved in March 2025, supporting the Minns Labor Government's commitment to unlocking housing close to public transport.
The planned precinct includes four buildings: a 43-storey build-to-rent residential tower with 470 apartments, a 29-storey commercial tower, 24-storey building with 500 student accommodation units and an eight-storey hotel building.
Located between Church, Macquarie and George Streets the precinct will centre around a landscaped park that will form part of Parramatta's future Civic Link connecting to the new Powerhouse Museum and Parramatta River foreshore. The precinct will also feature activated pedestrian laneways linking to nearby rail, light rail and bus services.
Building uses and design details are subject to further design development and planning approvals, with the final proposals to go on public exhibition for community feedback.
The contract award follows the successful completion of major excavation works and tunnelling at Parramatta as part of the Metro West Western Tunnelling Package. Station construction works are scheduled to commence in mid-2027, with completion in time for the 2032 opening of Metro West.
For three years, the team of up to 2,196 workers has excavated the 192-metre-long, 25-metre-wide, and 28-metre-deep station box and completed major structural works to ready the site for handover to the station builder.
These works also saw the largest archaeological investigations ever undertaken in New South Wales at the Parramatta Metro station site, uncovering more than 100,000 artefacts spanning thousands of years.
Discoveries included Aboriginal artefacts linked to the Burramattagal clan of the Darug Nation and evidence of some of the earliest years of European settlement, including the remains of convict huts dating back to around 1790.
Procurement for integrated station developments at Sydney Olympic Park and Pyrmont is currently underway, with contracts expected to be awarded by the end of 2026.
Along with housing delivery in Parramatta, Sydney Metro West will unlock tens of thousands of homes with some of the state's most significant rezonings at Bays West (8,500 homes), Pyrmont (7,300 homes around Wentworth Park), Sydney Olympic Park (15,000 homes), Burwood North (18,000 homes) and North Strathfield (18,000 homes - Homebush Transport Oriented Development Accelerated Precinct).
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
"We've finished the tunnelling and the station box, now we're powering into the next phase, which is building the station and the hundreds of homes that will come with it.
"These plans give a great snapshot of the future of Parramatta - hundreds of homes, student accommodation, office space, and vibrant public spaces all footsteps from rapid public transport that will get you to the Sydney CBD in 20 minutes.
"By boosting housing, we are maximising the benefits of this once-in-a-generation transport investment.
"The fascinating archaeological discoveries tell the stories of Parramatta's past, while the Metro station plans tell the story its future."
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
"Connecting major transport investments with more homes, close to jobs, services and amenities is sensible city planning.
"Increasing the number of homes on this site from 111 to 970 homes shows what is possible when we take a considered approach to planning around new infrastructure.
"The Minns Labor Government is committed to unlocking housing supply in the right locations, and Parramatta's city centre, sitting alongside a new metro station, in an area surrounded by jobs, green space and services is exactly the right location for a mix of homes, student accommodation, and commercial space.
"This precinct will also deliver genuine public benefit, with a new landscaped park connecting into Parramatta's Civic Link, the Powerhouse Museum and the river foreshore, giving the community a real destination as well as new homes."
Member for Parramatta Donna Davis said:
"Parramatta Metro will bring together the key elements to support our thriving city with hotel rooms, commercial office space and housing confirmed to be built above the new metro station.
"Great cities buzz and this focus on housing, jobs and tourism above the Metro will cement Parramatta as a destination to live, work, study and explore."
