All hope may not be lost for Westleigh Park.
In early December, the Sydney North Planning Panel approved a Development Application (DA) for major works at Westleigh.
After lodging the DA in September of 2023, Hornsby Shire Council welcomed the independent panel’s approval decision.
Westleigh Park is a 36-hectare site purchased in 2016 for $21 million from Sydney Water. The former NSW government had awarded Council a $40 million grant as part of the Stronger Communities Fund for the Westleigh Park project.
However, June of last year saw the now Minns’ Labor Government withdrawing the grant and ordering Hornsby Shire Council to repay $36 million. Reasons for the grant rescission involve the limited progress of the site, and how the grant funding is yet to be spent.
The grant was meant to fund the entire Stage 1 works, with Stage 2 requiring additional funding.
Stage 1 features a multipurpose platform with a natural turf sports field that can be adapted to make two full-size football fields, two full-size Rugby fields, a full-size AFL field, or a full-size cricket field during the summer months.
‘This is a great win for residents of Hornsby Shire and the northern Sydney region, giving us the opportunity to meet the ever-growing need for open space and recreation facilities for the area,’ says Hornsby Shire Council Mayor Warren Waddell.
‘These new facilities at Westleigh Park will address the major shortfall in sports fields and become a Mecca for girls, and boys, from the North-West and beyond to develop their skills and enjoy the many benefits to physical and mental health that sport and recreation bring.’
Hornsby Shire Council have called on residents to write to local ministers, send letters, and pledge their support of their “Save Our Sport” initiative to have the state government reverse its decision to rescind funding.
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