A new Greater Sydney Parklands super agency will take over from the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, amalgamating management of Centennial Parklands with Parramatta Park, the Western Sydney Parklands, Callan Park and Fernhill Estate. The government says the new body will be in a better position to protect green open space than smaller trusts but I am concerned that Moore Park, which has survived a number of takeover attempts from the SCG and remains its event car park, will no longer have a dedicated governing body to defend it from alienation and encroachment. The first test will be whether it implements the master plan objective to remove car parking from the grasslands. There is little detail so far and we will need to watch closely to make sure open green space is protected and funded.

The change is part of a new “50-Year Vision for Sydney’s Open Space and Parklands” that is open for public comment: HERE.