The NSW Labor government has unveiled plans to redevelop Wentworth Park, the home of greyhound racing in Sydney, into community sporting grounds and a park, amid a renewed focus on animal welfare concerns in the racing industry.

The premier, Chris Minns, announced that a 14-hectare area just 1.5km west of the CBD, including the greyhound racetrack, will be turned into new community open space to support up to 7,300 new homes.

The findings of the government’s 2024 inquiry into Greyhound Racing NSW, the Drake report, is expected to be released imminently and to paint a damning picture of animal welfare practices in the industry after receiving an 80-page disclosure by the chief veterinary officer for Greyhound Racing NSW, Alex Brittan. It is expected to ignite another round of calls for dog racing to be banned, as it has been in many other countries.

Greyhound Racing NSW, which has a lease on the site until 2027, had sought a 20 year extension on Wentworth Park.

When the greyhound lease expires in September 2027, the existing facilities will be demolished and the land converted into sports fields. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The decision of the NSW government to turn Wentworth Park into community space deals a serious blow to the viability of the greyhound racing industry and is likely to see it relegated to country NSW.

In 2016 the former Liberal premier Mike Baird attempted to ban greyhound racing after revelations on ABC Four Corners about the treatment of animals. But a backlash from the industry, the NSW Nationals and radio shock-jocks caused him to do an about-face.

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Minns, perhaps conscious of the power of the industry and associated gambling and club interests, is positioning the announcement as a positive for the wider community.

“We recognise Wentworth Park holds deep history and meaning for many people, and we know some will be disappointed by this change,” Minns said. “But cities change and we have a responsibility to plan for the future.

“This is more homes, more playing fields and better public spaces, alongside the infrastructure that makes neighbourhoods work. This is homes and community facilities delivered together, not one without the other.”

The 3.3-hectare Wentworth Park Sporting Complex precinct will be converted into community sporting fields and public green space, allowing for the rezoning of the surrounding area to support up to 2,500 homes. An additional 4,800 homes are already planned or approved nearby, bringing the total potential for new housing in the area to 7,300.

The detailed planning for Wentworth Park will be led by City of Sydney, which has already conducted community consultation on turning the dog track into sporting fields and open space.

The city has an Ultimo-Pyrmont planning proposal that includes over 4,000 new homes, but the lord mayor, Clover Moore, said she was open to greater densities in the area to meet the government’s housing targets if open space could be achieved as well.

The housing component of the new development is likely to be located on the eastern side of the park including the old Sydney fish market site. Photograph: Toby Shain/NSW government

“Greyhound racing is cruel, barbaric, outdated and unsustainable – it has no place in modern society. I have long advocated for an end to greyhound racing and the return of Wentworth Park to the community since I was a member of parliament,” she told the Guardian ahead of the announcement.

“This parkland should be for the benefit of the community, not an industry that has admitted to killing up to 17,000 healthy dogs each year, has been shown to live-bait, and causes people with a gambling problem real suffering.”

The housing component of the new development is likely to be located on the eastern side of the park, now occupied by old warehouses and on the old fish markets site, though it is possible some mid-rise housing could be included on the Glebe site.

The new Sydney fish market is due to open on 19 January 2026.

Mirvac has been identified as the preferred tenderer for the old Sydney Fish Market site, with construction of 1,400 homes, including 580 student housing units, set to begin by early 2027, subject to planning approval. In addition, a further 2,000 dwellings have already been rezoned in the Blackwattle Bay area.

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The Wentworth Park precinct will be immediately adjacent to transport links, including a new ferry stop at the fish market, an upgraded light rail station at Wentworth Park, a continuous 15km coastal boardwalk from the Blackwattle Bay to Woolloomooloo and the Pyrmont Metro station, which is set to open in 2032.

When the current greyhound lease expires in September 2027, the existing facilities will be demolished and the land transferred to the City of Sydney to be converted into community sports fields.

“Our city is changing, and we have a responsibility to make sure people can live near the jobs, education and transport they rely on,” the planning minister, Paul Scully said.

“We’ll continue working closely with the City of Sydney to deliver this rezoning in a timely way, and we’re ready to step in with a state-led rezoning if it’s needed,” he said.

Speaking before the announcement, the chief executive of Greyhound Racing NSW, Steve Griffin, said consultation with the government on Wentworth Park had been “very limited”, but the body understood “the world has moved on” from greyhound racing at the site.

“We’d like [the lease] to be extended for a few years so it allows us time to redevelop a new metropolitan racing precinct in western Sydney,” he said.

Griffin appeared alongside the NSW racing minister, David Harris, on Friday to announce a new multimillion-dollar track at Lithgow.

“It’s quite clear that the NSW government is very supportive of greyhound racing,” said Griffin.

The government said it will work with the greyhound industry to support the transition of greyhound racing from Wentworth Park to other racetracks, with $10m to be allocated to the Greyhound capital grants program for upgrades to tracks.

“The NSW government continues to support a competitive, responsible and sustainable greyhound racing industry with the highest standards of animal welfare and integrity that balances tradition with community expectations,” Harris said.

“Greyhound racing is a valuable contributor to regional communities supporting thousands of jobs,” he said.