NSW Premier Chris Minns rejects proposal to redevelop Sydney's Long Bay prison into housing
Former Liberal minister David Elliott suggested closing the Matraville prison and hospital on Monday and instead using the 45ha of land for a new housing development.
It comes after the Australian Turf Club shot down a $5bn proposal by the government to redevelop the historic Rosehill racecourse into 25,000 homes and a Metro stop.
Asked about the Long Bay site, Mr Minns told reporters on Monday that he was 'grateful that different ideas for housing are coming up' but voiced concerns about transport.
'The real challenge with Long Bay jail is the public transport … the closest heavy rail station from Maroubra is Central Station – it's a long way' Mr Minns said.
'If we're going to have a dramatic or massive increase in population, we have to take that into consideration.'
Mr Elliott suggested closing the prison and relocating it to regional NSW in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
The former minister said he had pushed for the plan almost 10 years ago while serving as prisons minister, but it had faced resistance.
'For the life of me I don't understand why we've still got Long Bay jail,' Mr Elliott said.
'This is not a modern prison. It was designed along Victorian-era prison principles. All the rehabilitation programs and facilities are last century.
'You could sell that and build a new state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose correctional facility in the outer suburbs or regional NSW where you'd get so much more bang for buck.'
Mr Elliott said the Long Bay site could provide 'a magnificent place to live' for people working in the CBD and floated extended the existing city to southeast light rail.
The state government's long-term plan for housing in Sydney was back under the spotlight last week when the ATC voted down the 'once-in-a-generation' plan.
ATC leadership had supported the buyout, which chairman Peter McGauran said would have provided fiscal security for the club for the next '100 years'.
The project would have involved 25,000 new homes and a Metro West station but faced pushback from stalwarts of the horse racing community.
Mr Minns has, so far, failed to outline his 'Plan B' but revealed on Friday that the state government was discussing 'contingency' plans.
'I'm very disappointed by the Rosehill decision, but I don't regard it as a waste of time,' Mr Minns said.
'I think it's really changed the nature of the discussion about where people will be living in Sydney.'
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