It’s hosted weddings, Kim Kardashian and Drew Barrymore. What’s next for Parramatta Westfield?

For 50 years, Westfield Parramatta has given the people of western Sydney a convenient retail, dining and entertainment precinct. But plans to expand the shopping centre with a multi-storey tower in Sydney’s second city remain uncertain.

In 1975 it was unlike anything Parramatta had ever seen: a vibrant retail and lifestyle destination spread over multiple floors. Over the next five decades, the shopping centre would host weddings, concerts and a number of meet-and-greets with celebrities, including Drew Barrymore, JoJo Siwa and, in 2014, Kim Kardashian.

While Parramatta city has experienced significant change in recent years, the shopping centre has remained a community staple.

“We are so proud to be celebrating 50 years of Westfield Parramatta. This destination has grown alongside generations of customers and business partners, continually evolving to meet the community’s needs,” Westfield Parramatta centre manager Leanne Tompkins said.

“Today, Westfield Parramatta is not only one of Australia’s largest shopping centres, but a thriving town centre that welcomes millions of people each year from across Sydney and beyond,” Tompkins said.

From Thursday, and across the weekend, Westfield Parramatta will hold events to celebrate its 50th birthday.

But as Westfield Parramatta’s owner Scentre Group commemorates the milestone this week, questions about the centre’s future remain unanswered.

In 2014, the state government approved a concept plan from Scentre Group to build an office tower above the mall. Seven years later, Scentre received approval to increase the height of the $670 million building to 47 storeys.

It was expected to deliver 105,000 square metres of commercial space and bring more jobs to western Sydney, with former planning and public spaces minister Rob Stokes saying the development would enhance Parramatta’s status as Sydney’s second CBD.

Then, in December 2024, it was reported that Scentre Group was exploring the addition of housing to the proposed Parramatta tower, with chief executive Elliott Rusanow saying that the company was considering redeveloping its properties to include apartments to ensure the company’s long-term growth and help improve housing supply.

“Our Westfield destinations are located in and around existing civic and transport hubs – places where densification is already occurring,” Rusanow told the ABC.

However, concrete plans to convert the tower into a residential building have yet to be made public, and Scentre Group has remained tight-lipped about the development since.

Scentre Group did not respond to questions from the Herald on the future of Westfield Parramatta and the proposed tower.

The Sydney Morning Herald has opened a bureau in the heart of Parramatta. Email parramatta@smh.com.au with news tips.