Planned garden causes turf war

Glebe residents are frustrated by the City of Sydney Council’s decision to go ahead with the development of a community garden despite its encroachment on a reserve.

John Street Reserve, Glebe, will now include a community garden occupying close to 40 per cent of available space. This development is part of the Council’s ongoing Small Parks and Playgrounds Improvement Program, which also includes St James Park directly opposite the Reserve.

Local resident and spokesperson for the Glebe Resident Group, Jeremy Oorlof said a community garden goes against the intended nature of the Reserve.
“The Reserve is zoned for passive use and the community garden will be fenced and gated,” he said. “Our understanding is that none of the residents will even have a space to participate in the garden.”

However, according to the Council, community gardens provide an educational and social place for food production.

Councillor Chris Harris supports the proposal and he said the gardens are “very healing and united.”

“I really hope [the residents] can open their minds,” he said. “It’s not a case of us and them; it’s about involving the community.”

However, Shirley Dean, a local resident of St James Avenue which binds St James Park and the Reserve, said the community is being left in the dark.
“Nothing would be happening if the residents hadn’t made a fuss,” she said. “The parks have been completely neglected but now it has gone entirely out of the local’s hands.”

A community open day was held in the park in February and Councillor Meredith Burgmann said the Council has to be careful where they put the community gardens.

 “I was at the original consultations in February and it became clear to me that the residents didn’t want much change at all,” she said. “The changes are pretty major and the residents are no doubt shocked.”

One major change causing the residents to lodge a petition with approximately 180 signatures to the Council is the removal of five parking spaces which service the tennis courts situated in St James Park.

Residents fear that the removal of these spaces, along with the community garden, will mean parking in the already crowded narrow streets of Glebe will become more difficult.

“If you put a community garden in this space, where access is via a lane, where are the people going to park if they’re bringing in fertiliser and other soils?” Mr Oorlof said.

However, Councillor Shane Mallard said the community gardens are a positive thing for users. “I am reluctant to wipe the community garden if we cannot find an alternative site.”

Yet, alternative sites are exactly what the Glebe Resident Group is proposing, having already submitted several ideas to the Council, including Wentworth Park, Glebe.

Norma Hawkins, 89, has lived in a house that backs onto the reserve for over 31 years. She said the council is neglecting the needs of the immediate residents.

“In my opinion, a public park is a public park and if the Lord Mayor wants community gardens they should be at various acquired vacant allotments, not somewhere already used by many people.”

This is an updated article