A new central park for Sydney
The Minns Labor Government has today announced plans to transform part of Moore Park Golf Course into a new thriving public park.
Moore Park Golf Course currently sits on 45 hectares of public land. The land has been operated as a golf course under successive service agreements with the NSW Government.
The current operating agreement expires in June 2026.
From that time, the NSW Government intends to repurpose up to 20 hectares of the golf course into a new central park in the heart of Sydney with more green space, grassroots sports and recreation.
It’s time this green space in the heart of the city shifts from being used only as a public golf course accessible only to paying golfers into parkland that supports our growing city.
The Government will commence 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 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. It 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.
Visitors will also be the beneficiaries of access to this new park with over 30 million visits to the neighbouring Centennial Parklands every single year.
The NSW Government will also commence discussions with the City of Sydney on a memorandum of understanding on ongoing maintenance of the new park.
Premier Chris Minns said:
“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.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“We’ve always said were focused on increasing housing with supporting infrastructure – today’s announcement is a great start, that’s why we have committed $2.2 billion in enabling infrastructure in the Budget.
“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.
“The communities of Redfern, Waterloo, Green Square and Zetland are crying out for more green space and this change will go a long way to satisfying their needs.”
Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich said:
“This announcement respects the growing need of the expanding inner city for new open green space and I thank the government for returning this precious parkland back to public use.”