AusLeisure

The NSW Government has today announced plans to create a new public park by reducing the 18-hole Moore Park Golf Course to nine-holes with land being repurposed to meet the needs of inner-city residents for open green space.

Moore Park Golf Course, which currently sits on 45 hectares of public land, will lose 20 hectares of its site to create a much needed new park for residents of Green Square, Zetland and Waterloo.

The land has been operated as a golf course under successive service agreements with the NSW Government with the current operating agreement expiring June 2026.

From that time, the NSW Government intends to repurpose the land for which it will commence a public consultations with the City of Sydney, the local community, and stakeholders on how best to revitalise this public asset including for the use of community sport.

A discussion paper will be released in early 2024 to guide this consultation, including consultation with the current operator of Moore Park Golf Course on the future of the remaining holes and the operation of the clubhouse and driving range.

The NSW Government’s preferred option is the western boundary and part of the section north of Dacey Avenue which will maximise accessibility to this much needed new park for residents of Green Square, Zetland and Waterloo.

Green Square urban renewal area presently has 33,000 people living within it and the NSW Government advising that the area “needs more open space as it is expected to become one of the most densely populated areas in Australia with the City of Sydney estimating that by 2040 80,000 residents will live within 2 kilometres of Moore Park.

The NSW Government will also commence discussions with the City of Sydney on a memorandum of understanding on ongoing maintenance of the new park.

Announcing the plan, NSW Premier, Chris Minns stated “over the past century, Sydney has changed significantly. When the golf course was first established, the surrounding areas were largely industrial lands.

“Significant urban regeneration has seen housing density around Green Square and Zetland transform industrial land into a vibrant community.

“As we work to tackle the housing crisis facing NSW by building up, we know that delivering public infrastructure including parks is more important than ever before.

“There is huge demand from residents in the city for a variety of community sporting facilities in the city’s inner south, and with further density planned this will only grow.”

NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully added “this land is part of Sydney’s backyard. We can repurpose this area as public open space while retaining a golf course and driving range.

“We know that getting more people into homes closer to the city through increased density, needs to be supported with more open space.”

Increased of public parks in inner city areas during pandemic lockdowns prompted the City of Sydney to first suggest that the Moore Park Golf Course be halved to unlock more public open space in October 2020.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore argued that the eastern Sydney golf course be cut from 18 holes to nine to meet a growing need for open space for residents, arguing the land was intended for public use.

The new park, currently dubbed Central Park, will be sited next to Sydney’s Centennial Parklands which attracts over 30 million visits a year.

In 2017, the NSW Department of Planning found that Moore Park was the country's third most-used public golf course and that there was strong local support to retain it as an 18-hole course.

Images: Concepts for the new park area (top and below), and a potential plan for the repurposing of the Moore Park Golf Course (middle).

Related Articles

17th October 2023 - Australian Golf Industry Council report reveals golf contributes $3.3 billion to Australia

12th October 2023 - Golf industry support fight to retain threatened Oakleigh golf course

11th October 2023 - NSW Government retains on-grass parking for Moore Park event accessibility

10th August 2023 - Legal victory for Melbourne’s Merri-bek Council as Court orders return of open space

11th May 2023 - Former Venues NSW Chair Tony Shepherd named new head at Sydney’s Moore Park Entertainment Quarter

24th October 2022 - NSW Government encourages residents to help shape the future of open spaces

6th May 2022 - Historic Toll House in Sydney’s Moore Park transformed into contemporary fitness and wellness facility

20th September 2021 - Sydney Football Stadium redevelopment to see car parking moved from Moore Park’s grass

23rd February 2021 - James Sutherland calls for ‘need to protect’ public golf

8th December 2020 - Lockdown use as public open space sees residents call for Melbourne golf course to be repurposed as parkland

26th October 2020 - City of Sydney pushes for Moore Park Golf Course to be halved in size to unlock more public parkland

1st October 2020 - Golf Australia reveals golf to be experiencing a pandemic-inspired boom

27th August 2020 - Clublinks partners with EnquiryBot on digital marketing project at Moore Park Golf Course

16th July 2020 - NSW Government plans merger of Sydney’s parks agencies

7th September 2018 - Pop-up Globe brings Shakespeare to life in Sydney’s Moore Park Entertainment Quarter

26th January 2018 - Centennial Parklands reveals record visitation as it enters 130th year

27th October 2017 - Australian rugby and sports science base opens in Sydney’s Moore Park

1st August 2017 - Sydney’s Moore Park precinct welcomes more than 1.85 million fans in past year

4th July 2017 - Moore Park Golf lights up participant engagement

3rd May 2017 - Master plan for Sydney’s Moore Park proposes enhanced conservation and new sport facilities

6th January 2017 - Clublinks appoints new General Manager to expand sport and recreation expertise

23rd July 2016 - New masterplan for Sydney’s Moore Park commits to preserving green space

3rd November 2015 - ‘Big Ideas’ for the future of Sydney’s Moore Park

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.