It is heartening that Kobi Shetty (local Member of Parliament for Balmain) has now circulated a submisison guide in favour of natural turf fields at Callan Park – see here
Submission Guide: Callan Park Sporting Fields
Our community deserves world-class sporting fields that support local clubs, protect our environment, respect Callan Park’s heritage and remain welcoming for everyone who uses this special place.
Instead Inner West Council is proposing to install synthetic turf at two Callan Park sites:
• Balmain Road Sports Ground
• Waterfront Drive Sports Ground
These Development Applications are on public exhibition now.
Submissions close on 9 February.
This is your chance to ask Council to invest in a better long-term solution: properly funded, best-practice natural turf.
Key points to include in your submission
Choose the points that matter most to you. Personalised submissions are more powerful than copy-paste ones. Remember, there are TWO development applications open for comment.
These points can be used to lodge a submission on both DAs.
- The proposal is not aligned with the draft Callan Park Plan of Management
Multipurpose recreation
Under Strategic Direction 1 in the draft Callan Park Plan of Management, it lists as a core objective to ‘Plan for and facilitate a range of diverse, flexible, shared, multipurpose recreation opportunities and spaces for the community.’
It talks about creating ‘spaces that can be used for multiple purposes and are responsive to community need’. The second management priority within this section is ‘encourage and facilitate opportunities for informal recreation…’
Synthetic turf limits casual recreation. When the fields are not in use for soccer, other users of Callan Park, of which there are many, would be unlikely to use this space for activities like dog walking, picnics, or informal play. This could also restrict access for other sporting groups including cricket.
Best-practice natural turf with appropriate upgrades would be better suited to meeting these core objectives within the draft Callan Park Plan of Management to ensure that everyone can enjoy this important space.
Inner West has some of the lowest levels of green space per resident in Greater Sydney, which makes it even more important that Callan Park remains a flexible, green, shared space.
Natural environment
One of the key priorities for the draft Plan of Management is the Natural Environment – ‘Care for the park’s precious habitats, biodiversity and work to connect it to surrounding broader blue-green corridors.’
The biodiversity loss from synthetic turf does not align with this key priority and the secondary environmental harm that can result from synthetic turf also threatens our natural environment.
Council would be better placed to upgrade the natural turfand properly maintain it, with careful use of pesticides to ensure biodiversity is protected in line with the draft Plan of Management.
Inner West Council has also identified Callan Park in their 2024 Biodiversity Strategy as being a Priority Biodiversity Area (PBA). The proposal to install two synthetic fields on site at Callan Park directly undermines this strategy and should not be supported.
2. This is a funding and resourcing failure, not a turf failure
Inner West Council has repeatedly failed to properly fund and resource natural turf, including at facilities like Leichhardt Oval.
Instead of investing in:
• drainage upgrades
• turf management
• proper rest and recovery cycles
Council is proposing synthetic turf as a short-term fix. This avoids addressing the real issue, which is under-investment in field maintenance.
The NSW Government also has a responsibility to support councils with funding for best-practice natural turf, rather than steering councils toward synthetic fields through infrastructure grant programs.
3. Synthetic turf causes real environmental and health harm
Independent evidence shows synthetic turf creates serious problems:
• Extreme heat. NSW Government data shows synthetic surfaces reach 70 to 75 degrees on hot days, compared to around 37 degrees for irrigated natural grass. This limits safe play time and increases injury risk.
• Burns and discomfort. Players regularly experience abrasions and heat burns from sliding and falling on synthetic turf.
• Plastic pollution. Synthetic turf sheds microplastics and chemicals into surrounding soil and waterways. Sydney Harbour has seen a sharp rise in synthetic grass fragments in recent years. This is especially concerning at Waterfront Drive, where run-off flows directly into Sydney Harbour.
Synthetic turf also contributes to the urban heat island effect, making surrounding areas hotter during heatwaves.
4. Natural turf can deliver comparable play time and more
With proper drainage, maintenance and funding, best-practice natural turf can:
• Deliver comparable play hours to synthetic fields
• Stay cooler and safer in hot weather
• Support sport, dog walking, casual play and community use
• Protect biodiversity and water quality
The problem is not natural turf. The problem is that it has not been properly funded.
How to make your submission
Submit via Inner West Council’s DA portal (you will need to log in to access the pages below):
Balmain Road Sporting Ground DA:
Waterfront Drive Sporting Ground DA:
Step by step (Council doesn’t make it easy!)
1. If you do not have an existing account, you will need to create an account for Inner West Council here:
https://innerwest.t1cloud.com/T1Default/CiAnywhere/Web/INNERWEST/LogOn/PRONLINESERVICE
2. Once logged in, search for Callan Park to find the Callan Park sporting field applications – note there are two DAs listed via the links above.
3. For each DA click View
4. Click Lodge a submission
5. Complete the required fields
The text box has a 1000 character limit
6. Upload extra documents or photos if needed
7. Click Submit, then Done to receive confirmation
8. Repeat the process for both DAs
Need help?
My office can support you with your submissions:
kobi@kobishetty.org.au
(02) 9660 7586