Disaster looms for inner west if Bays Precinct plans fail to include sports ovals and green space say peak sporting bodies

LEICHHARDT Council has called in NSW’s peak sporting bodies to lobby the government for dedicated sporting ovals in the Bays precinct, saying the developer has refused to consult on the issue.

L to R: Sienna Hughes -9 and her brother Josh Hughes -11 with no where to play sport in The white Bay precinct. There is a call for more green space in the White bay precinct. Picture: John Appleyard

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OVERDEVELOPING the Bays Precinct without adequate sporting fields and green space will be a disaster for the inner west, peak sports bodies say.

Leichhardt Council has called a summit on December 1 with the state’s leading sporting organisations – including Football NSW, Netball NSW and Cricket NSW – to lobby the government for dedicated sporting ovals as part of the precinct.

The State Government wants to create a “knowledge-intensive jobs hub” at White Bay Power Station, targeting 100,000sq m of commercial floorspace.

Kids play football overlooking Ipanema in the favelas of Brazil, which critics say the Bays precinct will resemble without enough active green space.

Football NSW facilities development chief Ricardo Piccioni said there was a desperate need for more sporting fields.

“Pocket parks and bay front walks won’t meet the demands for the current population – let alone the projected 30,000 new residents coming into the precinct,” he said.

“If we could have synthetic fields on Wentworth Park for multi-sports use, that would be a good start.”

Glenn Burge, convener of the sporting alliance Spaces to Play, said government developer UrbanGrowth NSW had refused to consult on the issue, despite listing green spaces as key to the success of the precinct.

“With 16,000 units going in there, they are still refusing to do a proper recreational analysis,” he said.

“They won’t commit to sporting fields despite the shortage in Leichhardt and the City of Sydney. We’ll end up like the favelas of Brazil, with kids playing sport on concrete courts on the top of highrise buildings.”

“We are saying we need a least seven sporting fields but the reality is many more will be needed.”

“The Premier says it’s a blank canvas – so we need to build these spaces in from the beginning.

“If you want proof of the need for these spaces, look at the pocket parks around Pyrmont – how many people are squeezed into them to play sport at lunchtime.”

“Even the hi-tech dudes need to run around.”

A lunchtime football match at Metcalfe Park, Pyrmont. Picture: Craig Wilson

Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne said the government had ignored the desperate need for sporting fields, indoor sport facilities and open space in the inner west.

“The inner west is crying out for open space and places to play.”

Balmain State Greens MP Jamie Parker said UrbanGrowth NSW was ploughing ahead with big-ticket commercial ventures in the Bays Precinct, but continued to ignore the community demand for new active recreation spaces.

“The inner west is experiencing an unprecedented baby boom, with the number of children under 14 increasing more than 20 per cent in the past five years,” Mr Parker said.

“Yet UrbanGrowth’s vision for transforming more than 80 hectares of publicly-owned land in the Bays Precinct fails to prioritise active open space and sporting infrastructure which are crucial for healthy, happy and connected communities.”

UrbanGrowth’s precinct strategy says the provision of high-quality open space in the Bays Precinct would be a key element of the transformation

UrbanGrowth did not respond to theInner West Courier’squestions in time for deadline.