Harold Park Facts:
Tram sheds

The old tram sheds are located at the Northern entry to Harold Park, adjoining the Jubilee Park light rail station.

Built in 1904 and once the second biggest depot in Sydney, the tram sheds housed up to 200 trams, servicing Glebe Point, Leichhardt and Balmain until 1958.

Ownership of the tram sheds was transferred to the NSW Harness Racing Club in 2002.

The tram sheds are heritage listed under the Leichhardt LEP, 2000.

The Club has made a number of attempts to restore and refurbish the tram sheds over the past few years as a multipurpose site but each attempt has been rejected by either Leichhardt or Sydney City Council.

Cost estimates for restoring and refurbishing the tram sheds range between $20-35 million.

There are 5 remaining trams inside the sheds. These have been offered to various organisations but to date no one has accepted responsibility for their removal.

Current zoning prevents use of the tram sheds for anything other than recreational activities.

Adaptive reuse of the tram sheds site could provide a much needed pedestrian link to the Jubilee Park light rail station and could include a combination of the following possible uses :

• transport/tram museum

• commercial offices

• general retail

• childcare centre

• community rooms and facilities

• artist studios

• restaurants/cafes

• growers’ markets.