Saving Moore Park

Moore Park is surrounded by an increasingly urban landscape.

 

Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust is planning to meet the needs of 50,000 new residents in nearby suburbs over the next decade or so. The population of the suburb of Waterloo has risen dramatically over the past five years, and in December 2015, the Government announced a major urban renewal project in Waterloo which will accommodate a further 30,000 residents.

 

This will nevertheless be dwarfed by the nearby Green Square development. City of Sydney Council expects the population of Green Square to reach 61,000 by 2030. At 22,000 people per sq. km, it will be almost 50% denser than Pyrmont, which currently has Australia’s greatest population density of 15,000.

 

Healthy Parks Healthy People Central, started by Parks Victoria in 2000, has pointed to the “numerous health benefits associated with access to public open space and parks. Access to vegetated areas such as parks, open spaces, and playgrounds has been associated with better perceived general health, reduced stress levels, reduced depression and more”.

 

It concluded that “improving access to public open space has the potential to increase levels of physical activity, and to have mental health benefits and reduce healthcare and other costs.”

 

Given these benefits, it’s hardly surprising that the number of people using Moore Park for recreational purposes has been steadily increasing. Different groups using the Park include:

 

• Community and school sporting groups

• School students

• Local residents and their families

• Individuals engaging in passive recreation –sitting, thinking, having picnics, socializing

• Individuals engaging in active recreation – walking dogs, jogging, playing cricket, kicking footballs, working with personal trainers, etc.

 

Rapid population growth in neighbouring suburbs can only intensify pressure on Moore Park to meet their diverse recreational needs in the years ahead.