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The NSW government says it will work with the Inner West Council and the state’s transport agency to prepare a new masterplan for a park intended to salve the impact of the WestConnex motorway.
Last year, the former Coalition government ditched plans for an all-weather sporting field, tennis courts and street parking at the Rozelle Parklands, even though they were recommended by its own expert working group. The parkland is due to open later this year above the Rozelle Interchange.
The 10-hectare Rozelle Parklands is taking shape next to exhaust stacks for the underground WestConnex motorway.Credit: Jessica Hromas
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, a Labor councillor, accused the former government of “planning to offload a half-finished park to us”, and said the community would have been “ripped off”.
“The Inner West [Council] will now undertake a masterplan with the new government to clean up this mess and ensure that the high-quality park that was promised is actually delivered.”
The park is set to become one of the largest green spaces in inner Sydney, and is aimed at compensating long-suffering locals for years of construction as the motorway junction is built.
The Rozelle Parklands Working Group – which was convened by Transport for NSW and reported to the transport minister – had recommended a synthetic playing field to host year-round soccer, five-a-side soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, touch football and OzTag.
The parkland is due to open above the massive Rozelle Interchange for the WestConnex motorway later this year.Credit: NSW government
It recommended four multipurpose courts – two for tennis and two for basketball and netball – but only two will be built. The report also called for existing bike paths to be removed for car parking along the Lilyfield Road boundary.
Transport for NSW confirmed in November the synthetic sports field, tennis courts and parking would not be delivered, because they could not be accommodated within the 10-hectare site without sacrificing other benefits. It also said synthetic turf would potentially interfere with an underground Ausgrid power cable.
The department said its preference was to create parking space within the park, but this was removed at the council’s request because it wanted more green space.
While most of the recommendations of the Rozelle Parklands Working Group were accepted, confidential documents showed several items were scrapped in the final designs announced by then-premier Dominic Perrottet at an on-site press conference last November.
The Minns government said the community would help develop the new masterplan, which would identify “ongoing improvements that will need to be made to the parkland after it has opened”.
“The masterplan will finalise next steps and ensure the inner west community is getting the best possible outcome from Rozelle Parklands,” the government said in a statement.
“The recurrent costs of maintaining the parkland will be transparently disclosed so that Inner West Council can take care, control and management of the site in the future,” the statement said.
The review will consider including disability parking near the parkland, and assess how to progress plans for up to 150 new car parking spots around the edge of the park on Lilyfield Road.
Plans are also being developed to provide an accessible toilet in the park’s children’s play area.
Roads Minister John Graham said the existing park plan would not meet the community’s needs.
“We are working with council to salvage this project and make sure the community really does get
the best facilities as promised.”
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