The Places to Roam program aims to deliver a series of open space, greenway and community garden projects across Greater Sydney to increase the liveability of neighbourhoods and communities and support new and existing housing.
The grant program is being funded under the $50 million Open Spaces Program to support community health and wellbeing for NSW residents through investment in the creation of high-quality public open spaces. The program aims to improve spaces for the community to roam, ride and connect with nature. It is being delivered under two separate grant programs the Regional Trails and Community Gardens programs.
The Regional Trails Program provides funding to support councils to upgrade or create new walking and cycling paths for recreation and active transport to improve health and fitness, community wellbeing, sense of place and connections with nature.
The Community Gardens Program provides funding to support councils in establishing and embedding community garden schemes and bushcare in their local community creating opportunities for connections.
The NSW Government has provided $17.14 million to councils over the past 3 years for Places to Roam projects across Greater Sydney.
Community Gardens Round 3
Community Gardens Round 3 opened for applications on 12 February 2024 and closed on 29 March 2024.
Five projects from 5 councils (Wollondilly Shire Council, Cumberland City Council, Fairfield City Council, Lane Cove Council, and Waverley Council) will receive full or partial funding for community garden projects.
View the map of Community Gardens Round 3 successful council project funding (PDF, 1.9 MB).
The 5 projects will support 6,959 homes to have access to open space within a 10-minute (800 m) walk.
$250,000 was available in Round 3 to eligible councils able to apply for grants of up to $75,000.
This is the third and final round of the funding available under the program.
For more information on the program refer to the Places to Roam Community Gardens Program Guidelines (PDF, 940 KB).
Round 3 successful grant projects
| Council | Project | Location | Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland City Council | Lidcombe Community Garden | Lidcombe | $66,638 |
| Fairfield City Council | Dyurali Community Garden | Bonnyrigg | $75,000 |
| Lane Cove Council | Stringybark Reserve Community Garden | Lane Cove North | $55,362 |
| Waverley Council | Waverley Cemetery Community Garden | Bronte | $23,000 |
| Wollondilly Shire Council | Old Menangle School Community Garden | Menangle | $30,000 |
| Total | $250,000 | ||
Adults and children gardening at Harris Creek Fairy Glen, a grassroots community-driven initiative supported by Liverpool Council. Credit: The Enchanted Trove 
People gardening at Harris Creek Fairy Glen, a grassroots community-driven initiative supported by Liverpool Council. Credit: The Enchanted Trove 
People gardening at Harris Creek Fairy Glen, a grassroots community-driven initiative supported by Liverpool Council. Credit: The Enchanted Trove 
Adults and children gardening at Harris Creek Fairy Glen, a grassroots community-driven initiative supported by Liverpool Council. Credit: The Enchanted Trove 
Adults and children gardening at Harris Creek Fairy Glen, a grassroots community-driven initiative supported by Liverpool Council. Credit: The Enchanted Trove
Previous Places to Roam grant rounds
2022–23 successful grant projects
For the 2022–23 grant program, 23 projects across 14 councils have been successful. 15 of these projects were part of the Regional Trails program and 8 were part of the Community Gardens Program with a total investment of $11.2 million.
The projects will support 31,404 homes to have access to open space within a 10 minute (800 m) walk.
View the full list of successful projects:
- Successful grant projects – Regional Trails (PDF, 2.9 MB)
- Successful grant projects – Community Gardens (PDF, 4.3 MB)
2021–22 successful grant projects
For the 2021–22 grant program, 11 projects across 8 councils were successful. Nine of these projects are part of the Regional Trails program and 2 are part of the Community Gardens Program totalling an investment of $5.6 million.
The projects will support 20,145 homes to have access to open space within a 10 minute (800 m) walk.