- Balmain Road Sporting Ground (DA/2025/1052) – one plastic grass field
- Waterfront Oval Sporting Ground (DA/2025/1053) – one plastic grass field
Comments due 9 February 2026 at the following QR codes:
| Balmain Road Sporting Ground | Waterfront Drive Sporting Ground |
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OR Lodge a Submission by:
1. https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/about/get-in-touch/get-it-done-online
Either register or enter as a guest.
2. Under Guest (left hand column) – choose Search for an Application.
3. Search Callan Park.
4. DA/2025/1052 is for Balmain Road field and DA/2025/1053 is for Waterfront Drive field.
5. For each DA, highlight it and click on View. The Attachments are all of Council’s reports.
6. Lodge a Submission is in top left-hand corner.
7. There are two DAs so please do a submission for both DAs.
To download documents from Council’s website – use these links:
Balmain Road field DA documents from Council’s website secure WeTransfer link
Waterfront Drive field DA documents from Council’s website secure WeTransfer link
Why the installation of plastic grass / artificial turf should be strongly opposed at Callan Park
1. There is increasing evidence that interfering with natural turf and landscape of Callan Park, by installing plastic grass/artificial turf, will cause immediate and irreversible damage and contamination to the environment, biodiversity and green space of Callan Park. Long-term impacts on the biodiversity and health of flora and fauna at Callan Park are unacceptable.
2. There is increasing evidence that chemicals and microplastics in plastic grass/artificial turf cause short and long term health risks to children and those using the artificial turf surfaces. Artificial turf contains PFAS and other chemicals which cause known health risk and damage. The risk of muscle and bone injuries to children and players increases on artificial turf.
3. The extreme heat that plastic grass/artificial turf surfaces will reach during days of hot summer temperatures pose increasingly dangerous health risks. It is very likely that more days or parts of days will be lost for players as a result of hot temperatures than as a result of rain.
4. Callan Park is a rare and unique site of State Heritage Significance, it must be saved as a heritage parkland with a healthy green environment for ALL the public to use and enjoy. Damage to Callan Park’s space, alienation of public space for one use, changing the surface from natural turf to synthetic/ plastic grass (with its characteristic reflectivity, texture, artificial colouration, curbing, elevated setting and mats for wiping off the infill and microplastics clinging to boots) will visually mar the heritage landscape and is unacceptable.
5. Callan Park is a green space for passive recreation and unrestricted access, as well as broad community sporting use. The catchment for the park is set to rise to 500,000 under NSW Government plans. Exclusive use of substantial areas of Callan Park by any one single sporting group will prevent broader unrestricted community and sporting use.
6. The cost of replacing natural turf with plastic grass/artificial turf is far greater than addressing improvement of natural turf. Evidence shows that in the short and long term spending money to ensure that the sporting fields are kept in good condition with natural surfaces is a cheaper and less damaging alternative.
References
Scientific data indicates the negative impacts of plastic grass for the health of sports players, the community and marine and terrestrial life. Click on the article titles below for full details.
Source: Breast Cancer Prevention Partners – San Francisco, CA For 30 years, we have been the leading science-based policy and advocacy organization working to eliminate our exposure to toxic chemicals and other environmental exposures linked to breast cancer.
Summary: Artificial turf fields contain hundreds of toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer and other health problems, with young girls and athletes at highest risk.
Article October 1, 2025
Source: realestate.com.au by Lydia Kellner
Summary: The Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) in New South Wales is at the forefront of this shift, proposing a ban on artificial turf in new builds and on nature strips.
It argues that the impact of artificial grass is both harmful to people and the environment, and is seeking community consultation ahead of the move.
Fake grass, according to the council, disintegrates into microplastics, which subsequently make their way into waterways – and can even potentially end up being inhaled by people.
Article October 17, 2025
Source: The Daily Telegraph by Jessica Wang
Summary: A new inquiry will probe the impact of microplastics and forever chemicals on women’s reproductive health, with Coalition health spokesperson Anne Ruston urging proactive action.
Date: November 18, 2025
Source: Ichan School of Medicine at Mt Sinai
Summary: The Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai strongly discourages the installation of artificial turf playing surfaces and fields due to the uncertainties surrounding the safety of these products and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures. In addition, recent studies demonstrating the presence of PFAS and microplastics in these products raise significant concerns for both human health and environmental contamination.
Article May 29, 2025
Source: University of MA, Lowell
Summary: This fact sheet introduces some of the considerations that are relevant to evaluating natural grass and artificial turf playing surfaces. For more of TURI’s research on artificial turf and natural grass click here.
Article August 2020
Source: The Guardian
Summary: Research raises more questions over safety of material that health advocates say is made with dangerous levels of ‘forever chemicals’
Article March 16, 2024
[…] can find out more about campaign here (https://www.callanpark.com/no-plastic-grass-at-callan-park-2-das-lodged-by-iwc/), and may wish to use the research the FOCP have undertaken to mount the argument against fake […]