Residents living near Penshurst Park have made a last-ditch appeal to Georges River Council to scale back its plans for a $17 million sporting hub in the park.
The council has submitted a development application for stages two and three of the Penshurst Park Masterplan which includes new playing fields, grandstand and facilities and an extension of the existing Hurstville Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
A development application for stage one, the indoor cricket centre, has already been approved.
But the residents said the proposed changes will bring “unnecessary, unconstructive and detrimental changes to Penshurst Park which will render it a substandard park for community use.”
They have supported their objections with a petition on Change.org which gathered almost 100 signatures within two weeks from concerned community members, calling to “preserve our natural green space and ‘backyard’ on Penshurst Park”.
Comments on the petition included, “We are losing too much open space. Keep this park as it is”; “We need to ensure that our green spaces are retained for all in the community”; and “Penshurst Park is for the the local community, not for the exclusive use of sporting clubs.”
Kathryn Skelsey said the extension of sporting facilities will close off a significant proportion of the park to local residents and will compress open space that has been used for years by the local community.
The proposed changes for Penshurst Park will result in resurfacing most of the natural grass park with artificial turf, Ms Skelsey said in her 25-page submission to the council.
There will be a smaller children’s playground and barbecue and picnic area which will be close to the road, she said.
The netball courts will be removed, the new canteen and toilets demolished, built by money raised by the community, and trees and grass removed to enable the construction of buildings and parking.
“Instead, more free, green space is needed to counter the effects of increased population and density in the area,” she said.
There are 800 units near the park and these residents would use the park as their backyard.
“And there are more units to come,” she said.
“If anything, Penshurst Park should be rehabilitated as a more recreational space, with the installation of community vegetable and flower gardens, and multicultural gardens to entertain and create bonds between the residents of various age ranges and many cultures with the Georges River Council area.
“If Penshurst Park loses most of its natural green space, then Georges River Council should then acquire more land, in particularly near high-density dwelling, for green community spaces,” she said.
This could be paid for from developers’ contributions.
Penshurst Park is too small to be converted into a sporting hub, Ms Skelsey said.
“Currently, Penshurst Park accommodates an adult soccer field and two smaller junior fields in winter, and a junior cricket field in summer, sometimes used by adult teams in the afternoons.
“The proposed changes will result in a single adult football field, and the cricket field will remain only suitable for junior teams, because it will not meet the radius dimension criteria for a standard adult field.
“This actually means a reduction in the range of teams who can use the field at one time
“Other much larger parks in the area could be given the artificial turf treatment because the offer a larger, more versatile available space. These include Gannons Park, Olds Park, Peakhurst Park, Renown Reserve, Beverly Hills, Carss, Riverwood, HV Evatt and Poulton Parks.”
Ms Skelsey said the removal and reduction of the children’s playground was a major concern, while removal of the netball courts would disadvantage many children who use them for cycling, scootering, roller-blading, skipping, chalk drawing, dancing, personal training, kite flying and handball.
The existing barbecue area is still popular hosting parties of 50 to 100 people.
She also criticised the demolition of the canteen and toilet block, after all the community effort put into design and raising funds a couple of years ago for its construction.
“The proposed sporting hub creates a too intense use of this small park. In particular, the compression of the playground and picnic area and removal of the netball courts, due to the expansion of the leisure centre, car and bus parking, and the addition of the grandstand, clubhouse and youth centre, is thoughtless, heartless and unfair to local residents,” she said.
Parking for buses will be increased and will consume half of the lawn to south of the aquatic centre.
There are some commendable features of the plan which should be retained and improve the park. The outdoor exercise equipment fitness area, a nature play area, bike racks on the King Georges Road side of the park, increased planting
But the overall construction of built structures over natural grass is not appropriate and should be rejected.
Instead, the Masterplan for Penshurst Park should be redefined as a Green Play and Physical Activity Hub, not as a sports hub.
The development application will go to the Sydney South Planning Panel for a decision.
The petition is at: https://www.change.org/p/state-member-of-parliament-for-oatley
The Penshurst Park Development Plans Discussions Facebook site is at:
Website / Blog: Penshurst Park Development Plan - Community Notice Board
https://penshurstpark.wordpress.com/
