Master Plan mayhem in Callan Park

BY GEORGIA CLARK

The Inner West Council is urging the NSW State Government to salvage the contentious Callan Park Master Plan over growing concerns the government will privatise the colonial hospital.

Former Mayor of Leichhardt and Inner West Council Advisory Committee member, Darcy Byrne, said the Master Plan should immediately be approved before existing facilities deteriorate further.

“Gabrielle Upton has made no commitment at all to reversing the demolition by neglect that has occurred across the park for the last six years.

“Every year that the State Government lets slide the costs of rehabilitating the park, the community asset increases exponentially,” he said.

Hall Greenland, President of Friends of Callan Park says plans for repairs are welcome but that they don’t rule out privatisation.

“The recent announcement from the Minister for Environment, Gabrielle Upton, that Callan Park is safe is very welcome.

“But it is worrying that the Government was secretly considering privatisation of parts of the parklands,” he said.

Mr Greenland says implementation of the plan gets more and more urgent every day as we see heritage buildings demolished by neglect.

“This is a State Government obsessed by flogging off public assets and so the public must stay alert as far as Callan Park is concerned.

“And ministers are on record as saying that the park must pay for itself so that opens the door to commercialisation and privatisation,” he said.

Mr Greenland says profit is taking priority over the upkeep of heritage sites and it’s the state that bears the responsibility of salvaging it.

“The Liberal State Government has a habit of undervaluing public assets, heritage and otherwise, and selling them too cheap,” he said.

Inner West Council Administrator, Richard Pearson, says the implementation of the Master Plan would also come as a breakthrough for mental health services, saying that community consultation saw virtually unanimous support for the planned wellness sanctuaries.

“Mental health was key to the plan as well as community recreational space but the plan’s vision for addressing that cannot be achieved until State Government adopts the Master Plan.

Mr Byrne says swift measures are required to salvage the plan.

“Establishing a Trust to govern and protect Callan Park is the only way to guarantee its future and clearly the Government is unwilling to deliver this,” he said.

Mr Greenland says a key accountability measure is ensuring the integrity of the Board managing the Trust.

“The Trust Board must have strong local representation on it.

“It is the local community which saved Callan Park and as a continuing safeguard their presence on the Trust is imperative,” he said.

Callan Park, which is subject to its own Act of Parliament, is yet to receive the rubber stamp despite years of planning.

Inner West Council undertook an extensive public consultation process in the lead up to the plan’s consideration by State Government, using an interactive webpage to invite public comment.

Mr Pearson said while Ms Upton’s comment is welcome, development on the site has yet to be completely ruled out.

“We need to see the full Master Plan vision implemented to preserve this wonderful site as parklands and sporting grounds.

“It is now over five years since the Callan Park Master Plan was handed over to the State Government,” he said.

Friends of Callan Park are planning the launch of an outdoor exhibition later this month which explores the historical significance of the site.