NSW Government announces plans to transform half of Sydney's Moore Park Golf Course to parkland

The NSW Government has today announced plans to create a new public park by reducing the 18-hole Moore Park Golf Course to nine-holes with land being repurposed to meet the needs of inner-city residents for open green space.

Moore Park Golf Course, which currently sits on 45 hectares of public land, will lose 20 hectares of its site to create a much needed new park for residents of Green Square, Zetland and Waterloo.

The land has been operated as a golf course under successive service agreements with the NSW Government with the current operating agreement expiring June 2026.

From that time, the NSW Government intends to repurpose the land for which it will commence a public consultations with the City of Sydney, the local community, and stakeholders on how best to revitalise this public asset including for the use of community sport.

A discussion paper will be released in early 2024 to guide this consultation, including consultation with the current operator of Moore Park Golf Course on the future of the remaining holes and the operation of the clubhouse and driving range.

The NSW Government’s preferred option is the western boundary and part of the section north of Dacey Avenue which will maximise accessibility to this much needed new park for residents of Green Square, Zetland and Waterloo.

Green Square urban renewal area presently has 33,000 people living within it and the NSW Government advising that the area “needs more open space as it is expected to become one of the most densely populated areas in Australia with the City of Sydney estimating that by 2040 80,000 residents will live within 2 kilometres of Moore Park.

The NSW Government will also commence discussions with the City of Sydney on a memorandum of understanding on ongoing maintenance of the new park.

Announcing the plan, NSW Premier, Chris Minns stated “over the past century, Sydney has changed significantly. When the golf course was first established, the surrounding areas were largely industrial lands.

“Significant urban regeneration has seen housing density around Green Square and Zetland transform industrial land into a vibrant community.

“As we work to tackle the housing crisis facing NSW by building up, we know that delivering public infrastructure including parks is more important than ever before.

“There is huge demand from residents in the city for a variety of community sporting facilities in the city’s inner south, and with further density planned this will only grow.”

NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully added “this land is part of Sydney’s backyard. We can repurpose this area as public open space while retaining a golf course and driving range.

“We know that getting more people into homes closer to the city through increased density, needs to be supported with more open space.”

Increased of public parks in inner city areas during pandemic lockdowns prompted the City of Sydney to first suggest that the Moore Park Golf Course be halved to unlock more public open space in October 2020.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore argued that the eastern Sydney golf course be cut from 18 holes to nine to meet a growing need for open space for residents, arguing the land was intended for public use.

The new park, currently dubbed Central Park, will be sited next to Sydney’s Centennial Parklands which attracts over 30 million visits a year.

In 2017, the NSW Department of Planning found that Moore Park was the country's third most-used public golf course and that there was strong local support to retain it as an 18-hole course.

Images: Concepts for the new park area (top and below), and a potential plan for the repurposing of the Moore Park Golf Course (middle).