Upgrade for historic park

Wentworth Park will become more accessible to the public later this year under a $1 million upgrade to be funded by the City of Sydney and Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Trust.

Labor Councillor and long-time resident of Glebe, Meredith Burgmann, said the upgrade is great news for the city’s residents.

“I think what the Council’s proposing is terrific,” Cr Burgmann said.

“It will do for the northern side of the park what’s already been done to the western side – improve the look and the sight lines to the water.”

The improvements, scheduled to start in June, will see sections of wall along the park’s Wattle Street side removed and the historic viaduct arches restored to their original condition, opening up access between the sporting complex and the rest of the park, and significantly improving views.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the changes would “reclaim vital open space in the inner city and improve facilities for everyone to enjoy.”

Convenor of the Council of Ultimo/Pyrmont Associations, Mary Mortimer, said the project was part of an ongoing process to improve the park.

“We’ve been working for several years to get upgrades to Wentworth Park,” Ms Mortimer said.

“It’s a much more accessible space that it has been in the past, and this upgrade is part of that ongoing process.”

Ms Mortimer said the park was a vital resource for the communities of Pyrmont, Glebe and Ultimo.

“It’s the largest public green space in this area,” she said.

“It’s always been heavily used by the community, but this is certainly making it much more publicly accessible.”

While the community response to the upgrade appears to have been resoundingly positive, tensions exist over the continued presence of greyhound racing, a sport that has had a presence in the park and region since 1932.

Greens Councillor Chris Harris said while the City of Sydney is in no way opposed to the sport and recognises its history in the area, it is Council’s policy to encourage the Wentworth Park Sporting Complex to relocate.

“The numbers of people participating in greyhound racing here have dropped off enormously,” Cr Harris said.

“People who train dogs are no longer living in the city area.

“If the Trust moved somewhere more suitable they’d probably improve participation.”

John Brooks, Convenor of the Blackwattle Cove Coalition – a cooperative of community groups in Ultimo, Pyrmont and Glebe that has lobbied Council for the upgrades – said although the Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Trust had done an excellent job upgrading the Park, the space it occupies could be put to better use.

“It would be nice if the ground could be used for other purposes,” Mr Brooks said.

Councillor Burgmann, however, said she strongly supported the greyhound racing at Wentworth Park and that the push to relocate the complex was a class issue.

“I was shocked to find out that it is Council’s policy to be opposed to the dogs in the park,” Cr Burgmann said.

“I oppose that policy.

“The argument is that people are not participating, but that is a decision for the Trust not the Council … There are a lot of people in Glebe who are part of the dog racing culture.”

The Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Trust is contributing $500,000 to the upgrade, which is expected to be complete by late 2010.

By Tamara Smallhorn