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Keep Gladesville Reserve Natural & Open To All

REJECT SYNTHETIC SURFACE & FENCING

Please sign the petition …

• at change.org/SustainingGladesvilleReserve
• or via our website… SustainingGR.org.au

$2M funding has been allocated by NSW Government for the upgrade of Gladesville Reserve. Anthony Roberts MP has confirmed that Hunters Hill Council is required to engage with the community to determine the most appropriate use of the funding.

This is a tremendous opportunity to upgrade facilities at Gladesville Reserve, for the benefit of the whole community.

Hunters Hill Council have proposed to use the funds for a fenced-in playing field, using an artificial, synthetic surface. The solution they propose will damage the environment and restrict other usage by the community.

If this goes ahead as proposed…

• other uses will be restricted… cricket, dog walking, children playing, casual sport and recreation
• environmental impacts of microplastics, end of life disposal, no carbon absorbed
• the synthetic surface will get very much hotter in summer.

We ask that Council seek a win/win solution to meet the needs of all community members in an environmentally sustainable way… by upgrading with natural grass.

The proposal could be presented as early as the next Council meeting on October 18^th.

Here are some powerful ways you can take action:

1. Sign our petition at Change.org … Go to SustainingGR.org.au for easy access… You can do that now.
2. Phone/write to the Councillors and the General Manager of Hunters Hill Council and say that you would be delighted with an upgrade using natural turf, but not with a synthetic surface, enabling continued access and enjoyment for ALL users and protecting the environment.
3. Write a submission or speech for the Council meeting.

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We want to ensure Gladesville Reserve remains a community resource open to ALL users. We are keen to ensure a public resource on Crown Land is not turned into a single user facility.

Hunters Hill Council have proposed a synthetic field and fencing to Gladesville Reserve. In late 2020, with almost no information about the field available to the community, Council sought views on how all areas of Gladesville Reserve might be used and improved. Early this year, a funding agreement was signed between the NSW Government and our Council.

Hunters Hill Council did not adequately engage and consult with the local community. In April 2021, with only a few days notice, a business case for a fenced-in synthetic field was presented for approval by Councillors. It did not get approved on the night.

Councillors with an interest for community concerns insisted on a wider assessment of alternative solutions, including natural grass. They insisted on proper consultation with the community, which to date has still not occurred.

It is understood that this could be brought back to Council on October 18 for a final decision, which would take into account a study by NSW Government into usage and adverse environmental and community impacts of a synthetic surface.

This is possibly our last chance to speak up. If you prefer natural grass and retaining Gladesville Reserve as a facility for the whole community, please let Hunters Hill Council know of your concern…. Send your email to the Councillors and Acting General Manager at the addresses below. And sign the Change.org petition.

We are registered in NSW as an incorporated association Sustaining Gladesville Reserve INC2101027.

Please visit our website at… SustainingGR.org.au

where you can register for membership and quickly access the petition

or email us at… SustainingGR@gmail.com

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