Parramatta’s city centre is set for a major housing and student accommodation boost just footsteps from the future Metro West station, with plans for 470 homes and 500 student accommodation units as part of the integrated station 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 under the concept plan approved in March 2025 to 970, comprising 470 build-to-rent apartments and 500 student accommodation units.
The planned precinct includes four buildings:
- a 43-storey build-to-rent residential tower with 470 apartments;
- a 29-storey commercial tower;
- a 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 the Parramatta River foreshore.
The precinct will also feature activated pedestrian laneways linking to nearby heavy rail, light rail and bus services.
Building uses and design details remain subject to further design development and planning approvals, with the final proposals to go on public exhibition for community feedback. The concept approval for development above and adjacent to Parramatta Metro Station was granted in 2025.
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 planned 2032 opening of Sydney Metro West.
For three years, a team of up to 2,196 workers excavated the 192-metre-long, 25-metre-wide and 28-metre-deep station box and completed major structural works to prepare the site for handover to the station builder.
The works also involved what the NSW Government described as the largest archaeological investigations ever undertaken in New South Wales at a single site, uncovering more than 100,000 artefacts spanning thousands of years.
Discoveries included Aboriginal artefacts linked to the Burramattagal clan of the Darug Nation, as well as evidence from some of the earliest years of European settlement, including remains of convict huts dating back to around 1790.
Procurement for integrated station developments at Sydney Olympic Park and Pyrmont is also underway, with contracts expected to be awarded by the end of 2026.
Along with housing delivery in Parramatta, Sydney Metro West is expected to support tens of thousands of additional homes through major rezonings and housing precincts, including:
- 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/Homebush – 18,000 homes through the 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.”
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 residential dwellings on this site from 111 to 970 shows what is possible when we take a considered approach to planning around new infrastructure.
“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.”
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 planned 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.”