Planning for the future of Newcastle Racecourse
Newcastle Jockey Club is developing a long-term planning proposal for the future of Newcastle Racecourse at Broadmeadow.
The proposal is about securing the future of racing in Newcastle, improving racing and race day facilities, and considering how parts of the site could be used more effectively over time.
Newcastle Racecourse is not proposed to close. Racing and training remain central to the future of the site.
Why is change being considered?
Newcastle Jockey Club is planning for the long term. Like many racing clubs, the Club is facing changing revenue conditions, rising costs and the need to continue investing in modern racing and race day facilities.
The planning proposal seeks to rezone parts of the site to support a broader range of opportunities to enhance the site and contribute to the Club’s long-term sustainability.
The proposal is about:
- protecting and strengthening racing in Newcastle
- improving facilities for members, racegoers, trainers, jockeys and site users
- supporting the Club’s long-term financial sustainability
- making better use of land not required for racing
- creating a broader racing, lifestyle and sporting precinct
- contributing to housing choice, local jobs, open space and community uses
What is being considered?
The proposal could include:
- new and improved racing and race day facilities
- better member, visitor and operational facilities
- housing, with the type and mix still to be determined
- commercial and community uses
- potential new and improved open spaces and public-domain areas, subject to further design and access arrangements
- better connections to the surrounding area
- local jobs and economic activity
- a more active precinct across the year
At the heart of the planning proposal is a vision for two new precincts that complement the racecourse and support its long-term future:
- Trackside Quarter – a vibrant mixed-use precinct featuring around 1,000 homes, together with retail, office and childcare spaces and a potential 100-room hotel.
- The Stables – a new residential neighbourhood currently envisaged to provide approximately 300 homes.
The proposal also includes a commitment to maintaining parking provision across the site.
Together, Trackside Quarter and The Stables could provide around 1,300 new homes. The proposed figures and land uses are indicative and will continue to be refined through technical assessments, stakeholder and community feedback, and the formal planning process.
Have your Say
Newcastle Jockey Club wants to hear from members, trainers, racing partners, neighbours, site users and the broader Newcastle community.
We want to understand what matters most to you and what should be considered as part of the planning proposal process.
You can provide feedback by:
frequently asked questions
No. Newcastle Raceourse is not proposed to close. Racing and training remain central to the future of the site.
No. The proposal is not to relocate racing. Newcastle Racecourse will remain the home of racing in Newcastle.
No. This is not a Rosehill-style proposal. The proposal is about retaining and strengthening racing at Newcastle Racecourse while considering how parts of the site could be used more effectively over time.
No. We are seeking early feedback now as part of the planning proposal process.
Newcastle Jockey Club is planning for the long-term future of the racecourse. The Club needs to continue investing in racing and race day facilities, respond to changing revenue conditions and rising costs, and make sure the racecourse remains viable, relevant and sustainable for future generations.
At the heart of the planning proposal is a vision for two new precincts that complement the racecourse and support its long-term future:
- Trackside Quarter – a vibrant mixed-use precinct featuring around 1,000 homes, together with retail, office and childcare spaces and a potential 100-room hotel.
- The Stables – a new residential neighbourhood currently envisaged to provide approximately 300 homes.
The proposal also includes a commitment to maintaining parking provision across the site.
Together, Trackside Quarter and The Stables could provide around 1,300 new homes. The proposed figures and land uses are indicative and will continue to be refined through technical assessments, stakeholder and community feedback, and the formal planning process.
Racing remains Newcastle Jockey Club’s core purpose, but racing and race-day income alone may not provide the financial capacity needed to operate, maintain and continually improve the racecourse over the long term. New commercial and residential opportunities could diversify the Club’s income and provide a more sustainable foundation for continued investment in racing and facilities.
The planning proposal could include improved racing, training and race day facilities, better member and visitor facilities, housing, commercial and community uses, open space, public domain improvements, better connections and local jobs.
Any future redevelopment would need to be carefully staged. The intent is to allow racing and training operations to continue while any future improvements are delivered over time.
The current process relates to a planning proposal. A planning proposal seeks changes to local planning controls to support a broader range of opportunities to enhance the site and contribute to the Club’s long-term sustainability. It does not approve construction or detailed building design.
No. A planning proposal is not development approval. More detailed design, technical assessment and future planning approvals would be required before construction could occur.
Key issues that will need to be considered include traffic and access, parking, noise, race day operations, construction impacts, height, density and built form, local character and amenity, open space, public benefit, heritage, flooding, utilities, contamination, impacts on existing tenants and site users, and timing and staging.
You can provide feedback by completing the online feedback form, emailing the project team (masterplan@njc.com.au) or speaking with the project team during consultation activities.
Feedback will be reviewed by the project team and used to inform the next stage of planning. It will help identify local issues, opportunities and matters requiring further technical assessment.
Yes. This is early consultation before lodgement of the planning proposal. Further opportunities for engagement are expected as the proposal progresses through the planning process.