Advocacy:
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Saving Moore Park Inc. now has more than 3,000 supporters across our website, Facebook page and Twitter. Developments to the west of Moore Park are expected to result in 60-100,000 residents over the next decade, making the need for accessible parkland a critical priority. The draft Moore Park Master Plan has just been released and suggests various projects of benefit to those and others who use Moore Park.
Against this background, we thought that many of those who support us would like to know the views of each of the candidates for Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney at the election on 10 September. We therefore invited each of the candidates for Lord Mayor to submit a short statement outlining their views on the importance of Moore Park for the community. We received responses from Linda Scott (Labor), Christine Forster (Liberal), Clover Moore (Independent) and Angela Vithoulkas (Sydney Matters Independent Team). Clover Moore's response is below:
Statement by Clover Moore in support of Moore Park
Moore Park is a vital green lung for our fast growing city. The parklands contribute significantly to the recreational and sporting needs of our residents and visitors, making up 28 per cent of the total parkland within the City of Sydney and about 1/3 of the outdoor sports fields and courts.
The importance of Moore Park will only increase as residential populations around it increase. The areas to the south west of Moore Park are among the fastest growing in Australia, with Green Square alone to be home to 61,000 people by 2030. Moore Park should be an oasis in which they can relax and play.
The NSW Government and Centennial and Moore Park Trust must respond to these trends and the increasing demands on Moore Park by looking at ways to increase open space and publicly accessible sports and recreation facilities within the parklands. All options must be on the table, including reclaiming land in the Entertainment Quarter for indoor sporting opportunities and reducing the Golf Course to a nine hole course and using the remaining areas as public land for the public’s recreation and open space needs. And a firm deadline must be set for the removal of all car parking on grassed areas.
When Lachlan Macquarie set aside the land that now includes Moore Park in 1811 he did so for the use and benefit of all people now and into the future. I have fought to protect this vision against developers and vested interests for nearly 30 years in my capacity as Member for Bligh and Sydney, and Lord Mayor. As the Trust develops its Master Plan for the future of the parklands, and as more and more people move into surrounding areas, I will continue to be a champion for Moore Park.
9 August 2016