Minute by the Lord Mayor
To Council:
When parkland at Moore Park was allocated for
a nine-hole golf course back in 1913 and later extended to 18 holes in 1922, the
surrounding land uses were predominantly industrial.
It has been the policy of successive State
Governments since 1995 to convert the former South Sydney industrial area into
the Green Square Urban Renewal area, and by 2040, up to 80,000 more people will
be living in the area within two kilometres of Moore Park.
The City is creating 40 parks and playgrounds
as part of Green Square Urban Renewal, but small parks don’t provide the same
opportunity for people living in high-density apartments to stride out,
de-stress, renew or commune with nature.
For generations, much of the land originally
set aside for parkland at Moore Park has been alienated for other purposes.
Large areas have been dedicated to professional sporting codes. This is in
addition to sports and athletic fields, tennis courts, outdoor fitness areas, a
cricket centre and pitches and the 18-hole golf course. Parkland was also lost
to the Eastern Distributor and the Supacentre and there has been ongoing
alienation from car parking on parkland.
The City of Sydney’s strategic plan
Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 Continuing the Vision includes The Green City
project idea of unlocking existing Crown Land at Moore Park for wider public
use.
In built-up inner-city areas where land is
expensive, is an 18-hole golf course the best use of precious public parkland?
The question is fundamentally one of equity and putting public land to its best
use in the community interest.
The City’s proposal to convert the existing
18-hole Moore Park Golf Course to a nine-hole facility retains the popular
driving range, club house, and maintenance depot and requires minimal
reconfiguration of the fairway and greens.
When we asked the community what they thought
of our proposal in 2020, unsurprisingly, people living immediately to the west
of the course in areas like Redfern, Waterloo and Zetland were overwhelming
supportive of reconfiguring the course to create public parkland.
Golfers, especially from the eastern suburbs,
opposed the change despite that there are 12 other courses within 10km of Moore
Park and that the proposal retains nine-holes and the popular driving range.
On 22 October 2023, following the City’s
advocacy supported by Business Sydney and former Premier of NSW, Bob Carr, the
NSW Premier Chris Minns announced plans to convert up to 20 hectares of the
Moore Park Golf Course into publicly accessible parkland when the current
operating agreement expires in 2026.
I thank and congratulate the Premier for
accepting the City’s fair proposal. It is important for growing, densely
populated communities to have access to parkland.
The NSW Government will conduct public
consultation and release a discussion paper to guide that consultation,
including with the current operator of Moore Park Golf Course on the future of
the remaining holes and the operation of the clubhouse and driving range.
It is imperative that the City of Sydney
encourages local residents to get involved in this consultation and have their
say on the future of this public parkland.
COUNCILLOR
CLOVER MOORE AO
Lord Mayor
Moved by
the Chair (the Lord Mayor) –
It is resolved that:
(A)
Council commend the NSW Government's
announcement on 22 October 2023 that it will convert up to 20 hectares of the
Moore Park Golf Course into publicly accessible parkland when the current
operating agreement expires in 2026; and
(B)
the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:
(i)
communicate the successful outcome of the City's
advocacy to convert up to 20 hectares of the Moore Park Golf Course to
accessible public parkland and encourage the community to participate in the
NSW Government's public consultation process on the future of this important
parkland; and
(ii)
make a submission to the NSW Government in
response to the Discussion Paper and participate in any other consultative
process in relation to the parkland conversion.
The
substantive Minute was carried on the following show of hands:
Ayes (7) the
Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Chan, Davis, Ellsmore, Kok, Scott and
Worling
Noes (3) Councillors Gannon, Jarrett and Weldon.
Substantive
Minute carried.
S051491