Wentworth Point residents, Parramatta Council call for Peninsula Park
It’s like living in New York ‘without Central Park’ but a crowded riverside suburb has ramped up calls for a waterfront park to finally be delivered.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Long-suffering Wentworth Point residents were promised a sprawling waterfront park in 2014 but not only has the State Government failed to deliver it, the size of the earmarked reserve has shrunk and could be gobbled up by more apartments.
Transport for NSW owns the parcel of land along the foreshore but since the 2020 announcement that the government would build Sydney Olympic Park High School at Burroway Rd, plans for its football field have wiped out a chunk of land residents desperately craved for Peninsula Park.
Just 3.7 hectares remains.
There are concerns open space could shrink even more if Landcom develops apartments on land to the east of the new high school. Instead, Parramatta Council is calling for that land to be used as playing fields or community facilities.
Under an agreement eight years ago, the Planning Department agreed to pay for Peninsula Park if Landcom, its development arm, would build units next to it.
At a Monday council meeting, councillors labelled it “disgraceful” that residents were being forced to accept development of land to pay for a public park.
Labor councillor Paul Noack blasted the government for contemplating more high-rise towers on what should be public land.
“How dare they — this belongs to the people,’’ he said.
He said 50 per cent of Wentworth Point residents had children and there were about 15,000 residents in its northern point.
“You’re looking at little Manhattan down there at the moment with the massive high-rises,’’ he said.
“The only thing missing is Central Park. You can imagine the New Yorkers if someone said ‘let’s divide half of it and make some apartments down there’ they would go crazy, the world would go crazy.’’
Wentworth Point resident Clement Lun said Peninsula Park was the last piece of public land in the suburb.
“It is the biggest issue for Wentworth Point because there’s no public parks,’’ he said.
“There’s 14,000 people now but there’s going to be 30,000 (by 2032) when the masterplan’s complete.
“We are surrounded by parklands like Sydney Olympic Park but they don’t have public access — they’re mangroves — they’re not open spaces with playgrounds and things like that.’’
The council has also been riled over suggestions the high school’s oval should be included in Peninsula Park and used by the public too.
“This is outrageous,’’ Cr Noack said.
“This would absolutely jeopardise the rights of our children that go to school and have the ability to use that oval. It would be a really disgraceful thing to take away that right of our school kids at Wentworth Point.’’
A total of 2500 students are expected to attend the high school and adjacent Wentworth Point Public School and “without a dedicated oval the two schools will not meet the mandatory teaching requirements under the NSW Education Standards Authority’’.
The council unanimously voted to advocate for Transport for NSW and Landcom to start work on Peninsula Park and to abandon plans to develop land adjacent to the park.
The NSW Government is transforming the Wentworth Point Peninsula with a new high school and Peninsula Park, alongside a mixed-use development and waterfront facilities.
More information about the master plan update and park delivery works will be shared with the community as planning progresses later in 2022.”
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the government was transforming the Wentworth Point Peninsula with a new high school and Peninsula Park, alongside a mixed-use development and waterfront facilities.
“More information about the master plan update and park delivery works will be shared with the community as planning progresses later in 2022,’’ she said.
MORE NEWS
More Coverage
MP David Elliott dismisses running for Parramatta in the federal election
What public thinks of Labor preselecting Andrew Charlton to run for Parramatta
Originally published as Wentworth Point residents, Parramatta Council call for Peninsula Park
Thousands without power as more storms loom for Sydney
Sydney is bracing for more storms after severe weather brought lightning, large hailstones, and heavy rain, leaving thousands without power. Emergency services responded to dozens of calls for help, with the inner west hit hardest by the deluge.
Leading company pulls out of Illawarra Wind Zone
A world-leading offshore wind company has decided it won’t bid on the controversial project, with Chris Bowen’s office refusing to confirm if other companies are still in the race.