Western Sydney’s appeal as a go-to destination for arts and culture gets a pre-election boost.

The stalled rebuild plans for Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres complex have been rebooted with $40m in extra funding from the NSW government’s WestInvest fund. The extra money makes good a funding shortfall that has delayed the redevelopment of the building for several years.

The bulk of the monies required for the rebuild comes from the government’s $140m purchase of land from City of Parramatta Council on which the new Parramatta Powerhouse is being built. Of this, $100m was earmarked for Riverside Theatres.

Architect proposal for the new Riverside Theatres complex. Photo supplied

The project will create a new 1,350-seat proscenium arch lyric theatre, capable of staging the largest touring productions, a refurbished 760-seat playhouse theatre, a new 430-seat drama theatre, and a 75-seat digital studio and cinema. Much of the existing building – built for the 1988 Bicentenary – will be demolished. The seating capacity of the complex will almost double.

The new Riverside will form part of a multi-billion-dollar culture precinct that includes the new Powerhouse Parramatta, itself the largest cultural infrastructure project in NSW since the building...