Hyper Karting, a 410-metre electric go-karting circuit perched on the fifth level of the Entertainment Quarter’s multi-storey car park in Moore Park, is fighting for its survival after the City of Sydney refused to extend its operating approval.
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The venue, which has welcomed more than 500,000 visitors since opening in 2021, applied for a two-year extension ahead of its original five-year temporary approval expiring this year. Local planners knocked it back, saying the exclusive use of on-site parking spaces for a commercial activity would have an unacceptable impact on parking availability in the precinct.
The refusal puts more than 150 jobs at risk and has drawn criticism from the venue’s operators and its leaseholder, with the Lord Mayor also weighing in on the decision.
The parking problem
The council’s position is based on an anticipated shift in Moore Park’s parking landscape. Under NSW legislation, large sections of on-grass overflow parking around Allianz Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground are being phased out. Lower Kippax grass parking is scheduled to close by July, with the Hordern Pavilion grass area to follow by 2028.
The karting track currently occupies 298 spaces within the Entertainment Quarter’s 2,003-space car park. Local planners argued those spaces will soon be needed to compensate for the loss of surrounding parking capacity.
Hyper Karting disputed that reasoning, pointing to Transport for NSW data suggesting the Entertainment Quarter car park has reached full capacity only a handful of times across 84 major events since Allianz Stadium reopened in 2022. The Entertainment Quarter’s leaseholder, Carsingha Investments told the council the track had transformed an underused area of the car park into a vibrant destination without generating a single noise complaint.
On social media, some locals have echoed scepticism about the parking argument. One commenter on a Reddit thread observed that the car park is already severely congested when leaving major events, and questioned whether one additional level of parking would make any meaningful difference to event-day traffic.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore noted in a social media post that under NSW local laws, elected councillors must delegate development assessment decisions to professional planning assessors, with limited exceptions, meaning she had no say in the refusal.
She acknowledged the original approval was granted on the understanding the space would be returned to parking once on-grass areas were reclaimed for recreational use, but added that extending the operation of a popular attraction rather than making way for car parking spaces aligned more closely with her vision of a city for people.
What happens next
Hyper Karting has lodged a formal review of the decision and will continue operating in the meantime. The managing director has not ruled out taking the matter to the NSW Land and Environment Court if the review is unsuccessful.
The dispute comes as NSW seeks proposals to transform the 11-hectare Entertainment Quarter site into a year-round hospitality, events and culture destination. Premier Chris Minns has acknowledged the precinct, located 3.5 kilometres from the CBD, has historically struggled to sustain activity outside major sporting events.
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Operators and the leaseholder argued the decision to close one of the precinct’s busiest attractions runs counter to that ambition.
A City of Sydney spokeswoman said the refusal reflected the car park’s intended purpose, and that a further extension was not considered orderly development.
Published 25-March-2026
