Bob Campbell Oval: Some comments
Like many in our community, I was extremely disappointed with the outcome of this week’s extraordinary council meeting. Councillors voted on a proposal to put synthetic turf on Bob Campbell Oval.
Many Lane Cove and Greenwich community members presented impassioned, thoughtful and well-researched public speeches on the topic. I also put forward my public position that we should not go ahead with it.
Thank you to Councillors Frances Vissel, Andrew Zbik, Katherine Morris and David Brooks-Horn who voted against the motion.
However, Mayor Pam Palmer cast her deciding vote and sealed the deal. Synthethic turf is set to go ahead.
The plan to put synthetic turf on Bob Campbell Oval has always been divisive. A previous motion on the issue was supported by only 4 councillors.
For those who might know the background of this, you can read about it on In The Cove. But it has been causing controversy in our community for over a year now.
But I think it is most important to point out that, 1600 plus Lane Cove community members voiced they don’t want synthetic turf on Bob Campbell Oval.
Councillors are elected to represent their community. What would it take for this council to listen to those people? How can you dismiss that many people?
Here are a number of problems that I see with this whole situation
1. The rush towards a decision
It is concerning that Mayor Pam Palmer and the General Manager were so determined to push through a decision on Bob Campbell Oval.
Particularly when several things have recently changed: the Lane Cove Council election has been postponed, there is an environmental report due for the project, and the NSW Government has been reviewing the environmental impact of synthetic turf.
The extraordinary meeting on Monday 2 August was called following the July council meeting so that a vote could be made on the synthetic turf option. This was identified as a matter of priority to be resolved before the council went into caretaker mode pre-election.
The Lane Cove Council election has since been delayed until December.
Council could have voted to allow more time to make a wise decision.
This would also make sense while we are waiting for the outcome of a NSW Government study into synthetic grass. It was commissioned by NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes.
His department recognises the need for greater understanding of the social, environmental, and economic impacts of using synthetic turf as a replacement for natural grass.
2. The special workshop was meant to give the community answers - it raised more questions
A workshop was held for councillors in the week prior to the extraordinary council meeting. Experts and interested parties were invited to speak. It was supposed to allow questions to be answered. Much discussion was had at the July council meeting as to who should be invited.
The Greenwich Community Association (GCA) was denied attendance.
Following the motion, in the week after, the invited speakers were changed. The change in speakers seemed to favour advocates for a synthetic surface.
But not only that, but the community not then given time to research and respond to the outcomes of the workshop.
This lack of consultation on decisions that affect the whole community is concerning. The workshop felt like a box ticking exercise so council could say they had done it and continue as they wished.
3. Problems with the finances
We are in the middle of a one in a 100 year pandemic, in lockdown, and many in Sydney are experiencing financial distress right now. All council decisions that involve a large financial output should be considered in this context.
Many in the community are concerned about the financing behind the project.
The NSW Government grant that Lane Cove Council received was meant to fund the entire project. Based on the tender documentation, which you can find here, it will now only cover costs of the construction and installation of the synthetic sports field and associated infrastructure.
There’s now a $1.6m shortfall for the project and no timeline has been provided on when the rest of the project will be completed via Council’s Capital Works program. With the recent changes to developer contributions, questions around this have more urgency than ever.
4. Restricting broad community access
By making the oval synthetic, Bob Campbell Oval will be rendered inaccessible to those not engaged in team sports, for up to 60 hours per week, 50 weeks of the year.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made it even clearer to our community the importance of equitable access to our recreational areas.
Bob Campbell Oval is not an appropriate place for synthetic turf. This decision will dramatically alter the use of a public space to prioritise sports use, over general or passive recreation.
The ovals in our local area are often much more than just sporting fields. This is NOT being recognised by council in their decision to introduce synthetic turf.
Many of these green spaces are effectively community village greens. People from all sectors of our community use them to play, exercise informally, walk their dogs, and converse with their Lane Cove peers.
5. It seems some sporting clubs get prioritised over others
There is a broad perception in the community that sporting clubs and their needs are being prioritised over other voices.
I know some in our community feel cricketers at Kingsford Smith Oval seem to have the ear of council, over that of local dog owners and families.
But it isn’t all sporting clubs: it seems to be just a few. The Lane Cove Cats - AFL Club - have actually been battling with council over an issue with lighting down at Blackman Park.
“Who exactly has a seat at the council table? And how are they given that seat? It really isn’t transparent. Is it only the sports that the Mayor and Executive decides are of interest?”
I also don’t see other sports such as netball being given the same priority in the Lane Cove local area. Netball is the most popular women's sport in Australia with an estimated one million players nationwide. There is a court here and there. But not as many as there could be.
The intra-community tension over a number of projects in our area, is one consequence of a lack of transparency in council decision making. It’s not good enough.
So what can we do about it? I have some ideas! Read on for my follow up post “Resolving Community Tensions Around Lane Cove’s Open Spaces”.
