Inner West Ratepayers Could Foot $650,000 Annual Bill for Rozelle Parklands
Kobi Shetty MP - Media Release - 24, February 2025
24th February 2025
Inner West ratepayers could be saddled with an annual bill of $650,000 for the ongoing care and management of Rozelle Parklands, as part of a planned agreement with the NSW Government and Inner West Council.
Inner West Council have been pushing to take over the care, control, and management of Rozelle Parklands. In exchange, the New South Wales Labor Government offered the Council a sweetener of up to $20 million.
However, the offered $20 million would be a one-off payment, with those funds to be used across the LGA, not solely for the maintenance and improvement of Rozelle Parklands. In fact, $8 million from that promised funding has already been earmarked for the installation of synthetic turf at an entirely different location. The remaining $12 million is the estimated costs of bringing the park up to scratch, and there’s nothing left over to fund the ongoing maintenance.
Lines attributable to Kobi Shetty MP for Balmain
“I’m worried council may be biting off more than they can chew, particularly in light of the difficulties with this particular site.
“We had the asbestos debacle this time last year, and we’re still waiting for contractors to finish the work that should have been delivered when the toll road opened over a year ago, including the promised sports courts, lighting, and more amenities blocks.
“The parklands aren’t even finished yet and Council are looking at saddling our community with an ongoing bill of well over half a million dollars for maintenance every year.
“I’ve heard from locals who are concerned that it’s just not sustainable for council to take on this cost. They don’t want to see rates escalating in the future as a result of this decision, or the money being taken from other important projects to fund it. Our community also don’t want to see the parkland neglected if management of this huge site becomes too much.
“Council could minimise this risk by leaving the care and management of Rozelle Parklands with the NSW Government and lease the sports fields. We already have an example of this type of arrangement in the heritage listed Callan Park, managed by Greater Sydney Parklands. Ballast Point Park is also managed by Placemaking NSW. If the state government is serious about council taking it on, they need to be offering our community a better deal.
“Local residents have already suffered years of pain and disruption from the construction of WestConnex and the Rozelle Interchange, and continue to suffer from the traffic mess that’s been left. This parkland was meant to help compensate our community for this upheaval.
“At the end of the day, there’s no real benefit to our community if council takes responsibility for this site without appropriate compensation for the ongoing cost. The community deserves to be able to enjoy this park, without the risk of cost blowouts impacting ratepayers in the future.”
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