The Minns Labor Government will work with Inner West Council and Transport for NSW to undertake a new masterplan for Rozelle Parklands to salvage the project.
A new masterplan is necessary after the former government left behind a parklands project that was not going to provide the sporting facilities, accessibility and car parking that the community had been promised.
This included the failure to deliver on a promised facilities including:
- An all-weather sporting field for use by local sporting clubs
- Sufficient car parking to allow for the utilisation of the park
- Four multipurpose sports courts
- Toilet facilities for the inclusive playground
All-weather sporting fields benefit local clubs and communities as they can be used all year round in various weather conditions and had been the preference of local sporting clubs and Inner West Council.
The former government’s Rozelle Parklands plan placed the field above a power cable that would cost more than $57 million to relocate to safely install the field.
The review will also consider disability parking near the Parklands, which had not been planned for previously.
The Minns Labor Government has agreed to address this failure through a new masterplan for the Parklands.
The parklands are due to open with the Rozelle Interchange of WestConnex later in the year.
With the park due to open in only a few months, the masterplan will identify ongoing improvements that will need to be made to the parklands 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 community, who weren’t consulted properly by the previous government, will be involved in the development of this masterplan. 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.
Plans are also being developed to ensure an accessible toilet is provided in the children’s play area and a review is underway to assess how to progress plans that had promised up to 150 new car parking spots around the perimeter of the parklands on Lilyfield Road.
People in NSW are doing it tough right now with the cost of living rising sharply all over Australia, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for families in NSW to make ends meet. The last thing our community needs is more disruptions and delayed plans.
Minister for Roads John Graham said:
“The Inner West, and specifically the Rozelle community, has accepted much more than its fair share of disruption during the construction of WestConnex.
“The former government promised their reward would be a new parkland that met the wishes of the community.
“What was left behind was not that – and what is worse is that the previous government had given up on communicating directly with the community.
“We are working with council to salvage this project and make sure the community really does get the best facilities as promised.
Mayor of Inner West Council Darcy Byrne said:
“The former Government promised the Rozelle Parklands as compensation to our community but now we know they were planning to off-load a half-finished park to us.
“With no parking provided and multiple sporting facilities and basic amenities deleted, our community was being ripped off.
“The Inner West 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.”