Council Again Proposes Synthetic Field On Callan Park Foreshore, Undeterred By Previous Rejection

The Inner West Council is again proposing to rip up part of an oval on Callan Park’s foreshore for artificial grass, after a previous attempt was unanimously rejected by its own planning panel.

With works underway to transform the nearby field on Balmain Road, the council wants to create another ‘all-weather’ patch on Waterfront Oval, costing approximately $3.5 million. This would be built within its north-eastern half, whilst a grass field adjacent to it would be retained.

The first push to install synthetic turf here was knocked back this year, the planning panel having been concerned about potential plastic and chemical runoff into Iron Cove and Sydney Harbour. In a bid to counteract this, the new proposal raises both fields by up to 350 millimetres.

Despite the council’s “ongoing commitment to industry best practice and delivering a suitable surface for all users, climatic conditions and significant growth in user numbers have had a dramatic influence on the ultimate condition of the surface,” according to a report prepared for it by consultancy Greenspace 4D. The proposal has the support of the Balmain Football Club, but opponents are concerned about the effect on other sporting codes.

Local group the Friends of Callan Park are campaigning against the plan.

Don’t be so reckless, says local graduate

Millicent Lamshed is a Balmain resident, who last year completed an Honours course in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Sydney. “Council’s relentless push to resubmit synthetic turf for Waterfront Drive demonstrates a reckless disregard for the community, environment and independent planning decisions.”

“The local planning panel recently rejected this site unanimously for good reason. By placing a temporary plastic carpet directly on the Callan Park foreshore, an indefensible ecological hazard is created for Iron Cove and the broader Parramatta River catchment.”

“Doubling down on a second plastic field directly adjacent to a newly approved harbour pool displays the anthropogenic values that guide the council’s decisions, turning a blind eye to the inevitable impact of plastic runoff on human, wildlife and catchment health.”

“Waterfront Drive has served as an accessible, multipurpose green space for generations of residents, various sporting types, and local wildlife. Sacrificing our living foreshore for a single, specialised sport, while committing taxpayers to an expensive cycle of plastic waste and renewal, is an unjustifiable false economy.”

Lamshed said that the council “must respect the planning panel’s previous findings, abandon this repeated proposal, and invest in the research and implementation of sustainable, high-performance natural turf drainage instead.”

“Although I am strongly against synthetic turf as a whole, it constantly boggles my mind how the installation of synthetic turf continues to be planned in already established green areas — often nearby water bodies — rather than vacant impervious surfaces that already do not provide resources for urban biota.”

MP calls for natural turf investment

Greens Balmain MLA Kobi Shetty understands why some support the creation of another synthetic turf field. “My kids have been playing football and training at Waterfront Drive for years, so I know firsthand how important these fields are for local families and sporting clubs, and how frustrating it is when wet weather impacts them.”

“I’m disappointed Council is pushing ahead with another synthetic turf proposal after the independent planning panel unanimously rejected the previous application, because it was not satisfied the development would avoid pollution risks to Sydney Harbour in a flood. I’m not confident that the minor design changes in the latest development application, at an additional cost of $550,000, will address those risks, and they certainly won’t address the other concerns that locals have been raising with me about synthetic turf.”

“We shouldn’t have to choose between good sporting facilities and protecting our environment, including in Sydney Harbour where the new harbour pool will be opening soon.”

“With better drainage, high-quality natural turf and proper maintenance, we can give local clubs many more playable hours on our fields while keeping Waterfront Oval green, accessible and welcoming for the whole community.”

“I’d much rather see governments investing in world-class natural turf than locking our community into more plastic surfaces.”

Feedback on proposal REV/2026/0005 can be submitted online through the Inner West Council’s development application portal, or to PO Box 14, Petersham NSW 2049. Consultation closes on 6 October.

The Inner West Council was contacted for comment.