High visitor numbers at Sydney’s Centennial Parklands – used to justify carving up half of Moore Park Golf Course for more parks in the city’s CBD – have been “inflated” by the New South Wales Government, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper has revealed patronage numbers cited by NSW Premier Chris Minns and senior bureaucrats when reclaiming large swathes of Moore Park Golf Course for more public open space in the heart of Sydney relied on crowd figures for major sporting events at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium, as well as concerts at Hordern Pavilion and the Entertainment Quarter.
“The NSW Government has stood by the figures, despite a confession they include numbers from sporting fixtures and concerts, on the assumption people would ‘walk through’ Centennial Parklands on their way to major events,” the Daily Telegraph reported today.
The newspaper added that representatives of Centennial Parklands were also unable to explain how they can claim to welcome 30 million annual visitors, which equates to about 82,000 per day.
In the report, NSW Shadow Planning Minister Scott Farlow accused the Minns Government of using “inflated” figures to “diminish the usage of the Moore Park golf course”.
“Centennial Parklands will lose millions of dollars a year as a consequence of this decision. We also see reports that it’s going to cost up to $200 million to convert the golf course from its present state into public open space,” Farlow told the Daily Telegraph. “It makes absolutely no financial sense.”
A government spokesperson confirmed the last modelling on visitor numbers at Centennial Parklands was conducted five years ago.
“In 2020, the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands Trust commissioned research to estimate visitation numbers for Centennial Parklands,” the spokesman said. “It is correct that the figure includes people transiting through Moore Park to visit nearby venues such as the EQ, Hordern Pavilion and sporting stadia.”
The ever-popular Sydney golf course has spent several years under increasing pressure to be reduced in size, firstly by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and now by Premier Minns, who took office two years ago this week. It has remained a hot topic in Sydney – and in broader golf circles – but has warmed further in recent months. Just last week, it was revealed that government agency Greater Sydney Parklands was accused of using Big Brother-style tactics to silence campaigners rallying against plans to slash the course in half.
A spokesperson for the NSW premier did not answer questions relating to the inflated figure, instead deflected by telling the Daily Telegraph: “the Green Square area next to Moore Park presently has 33,000 people living within it and this is expected to increase to 80,000 residents by 2040, the most densely populated area in Australia. With tens of thousands of people set to move into the area, we’re focused on making sure they have access to this much needed green space.”
