Doyle Ground North Parramatta, Rydalmere get NSW funding upgrades

The cash splash to woo voters ahead of the state election has hit the battleground seat of Parramatta where more than $13m has been earmarked for sports and recreation upgrades.

Doyle Ground at North Parramatta is getting upgraded.

Thousands of athletes and residents use Doyle Ground at North Parramatta and on Monday the Premier targeted some of those voters when he pledged $8.3m to upgrade the popular facility.

A total of $5.5m in WestInvest funding was also promised for a fitness and leisure centre, and better eateries and outdoor dining at Rydalmere Football Club which also falls within the Parramatta seat.

Rydalmere has received ample attention during election campaigns. Ahead of the federal poll in May, then treasurer Josh Frydenberg vowed to upgrade the club with $3 million towards women’s change rooms.

Ahead of the March 25 state poll next year, Mr Perrottet and Treasurer Matt Kean pledged on Monday that Doyle Ground would improve access for open space and recreation.

“Whether it be through new parks and gardens, better walking tracks or exciting new sporting precincts, these projects are all about connecting communities,” Mr Perrottet said.

But Parramatta Lord Mayor Donna Davis was frustrated the government did not inform the council over Monday’s announcement, arguing it was a project the council proposed and would be managing.

Under the council’s Heart of Play masterplan, Doyle Ground will connect with seven paths and reserves in North Parramatta via pedestrian and cycleways to create an improved 30 hectares as one “shared backyard”.

Doyle Ground at North Parramatta is a popular recreation drawcard.

The other parks in the masterplan are Dan Mahoney Reserve, Barton Park, Old Saleyards Reserve, PH Jeffery Reserve, Sherwin Park and Corry Court.

North Parramatta and the Parramatta CBD are projected to house an extra 36,353 residents by 2036.

The Doyle Ground funding is part of $357m to transform western Sydney with more than 20 new and revitalised parks, 22 upgraded sports grounds and recreational venues and more than 30km of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths under the $5bn WestInvest Fund.

Elsewhere in the Parramatta electorate, Education Minister Sarah Mitchell and outgoing Parramatta state Liberal MP Geoff Lee visited Wentworth Point where they marked the start of construction of the suburb’s high school.

The multimillion-dollar school will include flexible learning spaces, a multipurpose hall for sports and performances, outdoor spaces including landscaped recreation areas, games courts and a canteen.

Wentworth Point Public School students will soon have a high school.

“Our government is delivering the biggest investment in public education infrastructure, with communities across western Sydney benefiting from access to new and upgraded schools,” Ms Mitchell said.

Wentworth Point is home to 15,000 residents and is one of the most densely populated suburbs in Australia, with a forest of multistorey buildings but little public transport and just one major entry and exit point at Hill Rd.

It is crucial in the Parramatta state election after Labor’s Sally Sitou claimed a strong victory over Fiona Martin in Reid during the federal election.

The Wentworth Point Public School booth recorded a massive 17.8 per cent swing towards Labor, largely because of Ms Sitou’s promise to spend $8.5m to upgrade the flood-prone Hill Rd-Bennelong Parkway intersection. Funding was delivered in this month’s budget.

Ms Mitchell said the government was delivering more than 50 new and upgraded schools in

western Sydney under a $8.6bn school infrastructure investment.