However, under the government's plan, a town centre would be built with shops, public plazas, high-rise apartments and parks. An artist's impression of the Camellia town centre. "This will be a productive, sustainable and liveable place with waterfront parks and a riverfront promenade for the community to enjoy the environment around them, and a business activity corridor to support economic activity in the region," the minister said. The neighbourhood would occupy a small corner on the banks of the Parramatta River, while the bulk of the precinct would be retained for heavy industry or transformed into an "innovation precinct" for research and emerging technologies. Rosehill Gardens Racecourse would act as a buffer, separating houses from industry.

At present, nobody lives in the precinct and the plan highlights the significant challenges in making the area liveable. Under the government's plan, an avenue will be transformed into a business activity corridor. Credit:Brendan Esposito There are several hazardous facilities and operations that handle dangerous goods; the soil and groundwater are heavily contaminated; there is a discernible odour and remediation will be costly. The plan does not elaborate on the details, noting that several further studies have been commissioned.

Parramatta MP Geoff Lee said redeveloping Camellia was a once in a generation opportunity and careful planning would turn a wasteland into waterfront living. "Rhodes, Olympic Park and Wentworth Point are wonderful examples of infill sites that have been successfully rehabilitated. Southbank in Melbourne provides an example of what is possible in a mixed-use quality development," Dr Lee said. Parramatta City Council has approved a remediation plan that would see enough asbestos to fill more than two dozen Olympic-sized swimming pools dug up from beneath the former James Hardie site to make way for thousands of apartments. The other big problem for Camellia is the lack of transport infrastructure. The precinct is accessible by two roads that are gridlocked during peak periods. It has no bus routes, and infrequent trains run from Camelia station along the Carlingford line. The state government is considering which of four light rail routes to build around Parramatta. Three have the potential to serve Camelia on their way to either Strathfield, Bankstown or Macquarie Park.

Parramatta lord mayor Scott Lloyd said the redevelopment of Camellia "put Barangaroo into the small stakes". The project would take between 10 and 20 years to complete. Loading The government's vision for Camellia is on public exhibition for feedback until September 18.