|The August Inner West Council meeting will consider a proposal from Labor Councillors to convert two fields in Callan Park to synthetic turf.
The proposal would see $8 million dollars of funding originally intended for Rozelle Parklands repurposed to cover the anticipated costs.
Currently, no decision has been made by Inner West Council to support converting these fields, with council staff directed to undertake consultation with the various user groups of Callan Park before finalising recommendations. If supported by Council, Greater Sydney Parklands would need to authorise the change, and a DA would be required.
Kobi Shetty MP for Balmain says:
“Well-maintained playing fields are in such high demand in our area and the clubs have called on the Inner West Council to do a better job of maintaining them. Particularly after all of the recent rain, some local sporting clubs have said that synthetic fields will give them greater access and allow more local kids to play.
“Many people have raised a number of concerns around environmental impacts, health, and welfare for players and the public when plastic turf heats up. There are also huge costs to council in installing, maintaining and ultimately replacing synthetic fields
“It is clear that the addition of synthetic playing fields as a solution to the poor management of natural playing surfaces in our area is not a decision we should rush into. With regard to the council’s proposed option of installing synthetic playing fields in Callan Park, these grounds are under the control of the Greater Sydney Parklands and any proposed changes will need to be reviewed and approved by them.
“In the event that Inner West Council does advocate for synthetic fields in the area, we’ll need to make sure our community is clear on all the available options. This should include costs for reinvigorating and maintaining our natural turf playing fields, as they do quite successfully in some other local government areas.”
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