The Urban Centre is bounded by Grand Parade, Australia Avenue, Sarah Durack Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. The Urban Centre will accommodate a mix of land uses, building scales, and significant public and active transport infrastructure. It will be the focal point for pedestrian vibrancy and the epicentre for work and commercial activity throughout the day and night. Prioritising public and active transport with a network of lanes, through-site links and retail frontages will facilitate a car-lite Urban Centre which is pedestrian focused.

A new landscaped Central Urban Park and Miluni Plaza will be vibrant spaces for pedestrians to gather and will provide direct access to the Sydney Olympic Park Metro station. They will also be important spaces for crowd management during events. These new public spaces anchor a new pedestrian retail mall that is comparable in scale and character to Pitt Street Mall in Sydney’s CBD. The retail mall is flanked by a multilevel retail centre that will provide a dynamic shopping experience for local residents, workers and visitors. The State Abattoir heritage precinct could be transformed to include a library and multi-functional community spaces with supporting commercial uses.

Olympic Boulevard will continue to support traffic movement but will be transformed to include public open space for recreation with extensive tree canopy, sustainable urban drainage, bicycle lanes and informal hardcourts. Development south of Figtree Drive will comprise predominantly high-density residential development with opportunities for ground floor retail. Cathy Freeman Park will accommodate a range of facilities, including playgrounds, street furniture, trees and shade, and other landscaped elements for the use and enjoyment of residents and visitors.

To read more about this neighbourhood download the Master Plan 2050 PDF document.

a. Promote business, retail and office uses to reinforce the role of the Urban Centre as a major commercial and employment node.

b. Provide high quality housing surrounding the commercial core to create a liveable and convenient mixed use hub.

c. Support the intensification of commercial uses within the northern portion of the Urban Centre:

i. adjacent to the existing railway station, including potential over station development;

ii. along Dawn Fraser Avenue and the light rail stops; and

iii. within the southern portion of the RAS precinct.

d. Activate streets and public open spaces with retail uses, outdoor dining, and prominent building entries and lobbies.

e. Provide a community hub to enhance the vibrancy of the Urban Centre, while servicing the needs of residents, workers, and visitors.

f. Provide an urban structure that prioritises active transport movement through the Urban Centre and provides connections to the Metro and public transport stops.

g. Provide a network of public open spaces within the Urban Centre for enjoyment of residents, workers, and visitors.

h. Consolidate sites to promote the efficient development of land to maintain satisfactory levels of amenity to neighbouring sites and public spaces.

a. Reinforce the significance of Olympic Boulevard and Australia Avenue through appropriate building form and scale.

b. Protect view sharing and solar access to existing and new public open spaces, including the Central Urban Park and Miluni Plaza.

c. Frame streets and public open spaces with consistent street wall heights to create a strong identity and urban form within the Urban Centre.

d. Provide building setbacks which respond to the character of the street, align with existing development and pedestrian linkages, and allow for the retention of established trees and new tree planting.

e. Provide adequate solar access to existing and future residential development.

a. Provide a range of public open spaces within the Urban Centre to meet the diverse needs of residents, workers and visitors.

b. Identify the optimal location of new public open spaces having regard to the surrounding land uses, access and movement, built form and environmental amenity, including sunlight access.

c. Ensure the design of new open public spaces maximises functionality and amenity for the intended users.

d. Enhance the amenity of Cathy Freeman Park.

a. Improve and prioritise active and public transport connectivity within the Urban Centre with the creation of a car-lite centre.

b. Improve pedestrian connections from Dawn Fraser Avenue, through the Urban Centre, to the adjacent Southern Neighbourhood.

c. Provide east-west pedestrian connections through the Urban Centre from Olympic Boulevard to Australia Avenue.

d. Prioritise active and public transport movement along Dawn Fraser Avenue.

e. Create a civic focus within the Urban Centre by prioritising pedestrian and cycling.

f. Transform Olympic Boulevard into a green, active transport corridor.