No apartments for Wentworth Park after greyhound exit
The NSW government has confirmed Sydney’s Wentworth Park will not be turned into apartments when greyhound racing in the state ends next year.
Lands Minister Niall Blair says Rodney Gilmour will be appointed grounds administrator and will oversee a redevelopment next year.
There has been widespread speculation that the area, in Sydney’s inner city, will be developed into apartments once racing finishes there on July 1 next year.
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“Mr Gilmour will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the Wentworth Park site, including ongoing public use for community purposes, in the lead-up to and following the cessation of greyhound racing,” Blair says.
“The NSW government’s commitment regarding the Wentworth Park site is clear — existing greyhound tracks on Crown land will be repurposed as open public space, alternative sporting facilities or for other community uses.”
The five-year term of the previous community board of the Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Trust expired on May 26, which Blair says means an administrator needed to be appointed.
The current tenants of the 4ha grounds, the Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Association, has a lease in place for the next decade and are fighting Premier Mike Baird’s decision to ban the sport.
However, Urban Taskforce Australia chairman Chris Johnson says the inner-city site has prime potential for affordable housing to be developed alongside community facilities.
This article originally appeared on www.theaustralian.com.au/property.
