Ryde Council last year asked the state government for permission to compulsorily acquire the T.G. Millner sports field in Eastwood,in Sydney’s northern suburbs,to thwart the plan that had been the centre of community backlash.
The state government has not allowed Ryde Council to compulsorily acquire T.G. Millner Field.Janie Barrett
But on Friday,local government minister Ron Hoenig told the council he had refused permission because he was not convinced the council could afford to purchase the land. Ryde Council is without a town hall and beset by major financial issues and its.
“There are significant issues with council’s flagship Ryde Central project,which has frustrated the community and is stalled as an empty hole in the ground,” Hoenig said in a statement.
“Given its current financial situation,the government has real concerns about the council’s capacity to pay for TG Millner Field.”
The North Ryde RSL,which owns the space,had lodged plans in May 2022 to turn the 6.2-hectare field and surrounds into 132 low-rise townhouses with a hectare of public park and $5 million in affordable housing.
Developer Winston Langley said Marsfield Commons,its name for the development,would bring in $25 million of community benefits.
Development manager David Hynes said rejecting the council plan was a prudent decision.
“You look at where they’re putting high rises up[in Sydney],this is the missing middle of townhouses that can be built quickly and improve housing supply. And it should be used as an exemplar for that,” he said.
Any development would still need approval through regular planning processes,but this decision blocks the council’s main strategy to halt the build.
Ryde Mayor Trenton Brown,a Liberal who halfway through the term,has vowed to continue to fight against the development,citing an already strained infrastructure system. He called on Premier Chris Minns to intervene.
Ryde Mayor Trenton Brown says the news was disappointing.Sam Mooy
“We are truly shocked by this announcement,” he said,adding that the council had received correspondence from the NSW Department of Planning,Housing and Infrastructure a month ago that said the department wished to “continue to work … on the provision of open space” in Ryde.
“It looks as if one minister … hasn’t spoken to the other,because we felt we were having a constructive dialogue with the state government.”
Jordan Lane,the Liberal state member for Ryde,accused Labor of “shattering close to a decade of bipartisanship on this issue”.
“They actively campaigned on saving T.G. Millner before the election,and have now left locals high and dry after the election.
“The Ryde community won’t forget.”
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