Parramatta: Location Options for SBS

Parramatta is currently undergoing a once-in-a-generation change with unprecedented work being undertaken in the public and private sectors. This goes beyond the large infrastructure projects and includes community facilities and creative and cultural precincts like Civic Link and Parramatta North.

The development of these unique areas creates an opportunity for a media organisation like SBS to locate in a special place, rather than simply occupying office premises.

In late 2022, the City of Parramatta launched its pitch to SBS to select Parramatta when it undertakes its feasibility study to consider a move to the Western Suburbs of Sydney. The Albanese government has commissioned a feasibility study into whether SBS should move to western Sydney, and Parramatta Council and others are keen to attract the multi-cultural broadcaster.

Parramatta is a growing city at the geographical heart of Sydney with significant linguistic and cultural diversity.

In the City of Parramatta’s pitch document, there are two attractive options suggested that would both make excellent locations for a multi-cultural broadcaster – Civic Link and Parramatta North.

Civic Link is a 500-metre-long and 20-metre-wide green corridor that is currently under construction. It will draw people to the new Powerhouse precinct, Riverside Square, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta Square, PHIVE and the Roxy Theatre and will foster a new arts and culture ecosystem that will naturally attract film and broadcast industries and as a world-class, creative hub in the heart of Parramatta.

The renewal of the Parramatta North Heritage Area offers a rich canvas for storytelling about the area’s past and future. Utilising an area of NSW Government-owned land in Parramatta North, the precinct will be transformed into a vibrant area that respects and preserves important heritage, whilst providing housing and employment opportunities for Parramatta and Greater Sydney. 

Civic Link

Currently under construction, Civic Link will be a green, pedestrianised public space that connects the heart of Parramatta CBD to the Parramatta River. It will link key landmarks and provide a catalyst for urban renewal in the diverse commercial, civic and creative spaces along its length.

Framed by high-quality architecture like the new PHIVE community building, the new 500-metre-long and 20-metre-wide green corridor will connect Parramatta Square and River Square. It will feature new public domain areas, and a vibrant laneway network, and will draw people to the new Powerhouse Precinct and River Square.

The dynamic, urban nature of the Civic Link location presents high visibility broadcasting opportunities for SBS, with access to major cultural institutions, a potential street-level multi-purpose space for content creation, and a purpose-built flagship headquarters.

Civic Link sets the tone for Parramatta’s future as a highly liveable and connected city, making it an ideal location for Australia’s most diverse multilingual, multiplatform media organisation.

As well as the cultural benefits, Civic Link will be easily accessible via multiple modes of transport, ensuring fast, easy transit locally and regionally.

Providing a canvas for public art, lights, music and festivals while welcoming people of all ages and abilities, Civic Link will become a thriving place day and night. This will foster a new arts and culture ecosystem within the City, with spaces for new local businesses, small bars, collaborative workspaces and creative industries.

In addition to supporting arts and culture, live music, and First Nations stories, the Civic Link creative precinct will highlight the film and broadcast industries.

The space at Civic Link would be a purpose-built dedicated building for SBS and could be available as early as 2024.
 

Parramatta North

Covering 42-hectares of NSW Government-owned land, the Parramatta North precinct is a major urban renewal initiative and will be a popular place to live, study, work and visit.

When complete, it will incorporate a blend of residential, commercial, retail, and cultural uses. By locating in this unique area, SBS would become part of the local community, embedded in the landscape.

The historic area lies just north of the CBD situated on the eastern foreshore of the Parramatta River opposite Parramatta Park. The precinct links education with jobs and innovation, contemporary living with culture and the arts, public spaces with the city, and heritage with the future.

This site could facilitate shopfront broadcasting and street-level integration of a public-use content creation space into either a purpose-built campus-style HQ or the Heritage Core cultural precinct.

The area will be seamlessly linked to the Parramatta CBD, Westmead and Sydney Olympic Park by the new Light Rail, as well as existing bus and active transport connections. 

The precinct will also be home to a new education and innovation campus at Parramatta North, with the University of Sydney as its anchor tenant. The area will gain from a research-focused university presence, providing innovation, jobs, research and education benefits.

It is a globally unique site that will celebrate a significant collection of First Peoples’ and European cultural heritage and community assets, making it an ideal location for a multi-cultural broadcaster.

The space at Parramatta North would be a purpose-built dedicated building for SBS and could be available as early as 2026.