North Sydney Mayor Jilly Gibson reveals Warringah Fwy park plan

NORTH Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson wants to build a sporting field over Warringah Freeway. They did it in Dallas and it only cost $110 million. Deputy mayor Melissa Clare thinks it’s “harebrained.”

Mayor Jilly Gibson has an idea for the space above the Warringah Fwy. Picture: Virginia Young

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NORTH Sydney Mayor Jilly Gibson has a dream.

She is pitching an idea to see parkland built over the Warringah Freeway in a bold venture to address the lack of sports fields in the area.

“It would simply be returning to us what was taken away when the freeway was punched through in the 1970s,” she said.

“We can’t invent space at ground level. We are out of available space.

“We have to seek alternatives. We have to think upwards.”

The view of the Warringah Fwy from the Bayer Building. Picture: Virginia Young

Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas was built over the Woodall Rogers Fwy between 2009 and 2012 at a cost of $US 110 million. Picture: Supplied

The space would be above a section of the freeway between North Sydney and Neutral Bay. It could be used for sporting and recreational activities.

Cr Gibson said that the council was currently turning away a quarter of requests from sporting groups looking for grounds in the area.

“This problem will be exacerbated over the next decade as our residential and commercial sectors continue to grow,” she said.

“When council attempts to extend the use of current facilities there is a backlash from local residents ... concerned about increasing traffic, noise and loss of passive recreational open space.”

As an example, Klyde Warren park in Dallas, Texas, was built across the eight-lane Woodall Rogers Fwy.

Owned by the City of Dallas and run by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, construction was begun in October 2009 and it opened three years later.

The organisations said it cost $110 million to built, with $56.7 coming from bonds from the City of Dallas, highway funds and stimulus money with the rest coming from private donations.

Residents campaigned against synthetic turf in Anderson Park. Picture: Phillip Rogers

Cr Gibson said the idea, which she described as “blue-sky thinking”, has been floated before but never been pursued with the State Government.

She discussed the plan at a council meeting and asked her fellow councillors to consider attending a think tank session.

The idea was not welcomed by the majority of council and was shot down in a vote.

“It’s not our place to bind a future council with, dare I say, a harebrained scheme,” said Deputy Mayor Melissa Clare. “It was a waste of time to try and pursue.”

Cr Clare said the project would be a massive engineering undertaking.

Cr Gibson has vowed to continue with the vision and plans to raise it with the local state and federal members.

North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman said the concept was worthwhile exploring due to the “critical shortage” of sporting facilities. However, he said it would hard to see it being cost-effective.

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An sculpture arch in Klyde Warren Park.

A splash park in the Klyde Warren Park.

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