Managing Council's Parks - New Booking Arrangements and Proposed Fees

Feedback closed 11.59pm, 4 October 2021

Parks within the North Sydney local government area, particularly along the Sydney harbour foreshore, are in increasingly high demand with higher volumes of people using the facilities at the same time for a variety of uses which puts a strain on the turf surfaces, public amenities etc.

Council manages these important public open spaces for the benefit of all users including the general community who wish to access and use the parks for passive and active recreation as well as people who wish to book an area for a special event, activity or gathering. Increased use by the latter cohort is on occasion prohibiting usage by the general community, and in response Council is exploring methods to reduce/restrict certain usages and introduce usage fees.

At its meeting of 28 June 2021 Council resolved (view report in the Document Library) to seek feedback on the proposal to:

1. reduce the number of people who can gather in a park without a booking from 60 to 40
2. require individuals and organisations wishing to use one of Council’s prime, Sydney Harbour foreshore parks** for a special event or prescribed activity to make a booking, regardless of the number of people attending. Prescribed activities include*:
   • corporate promotional activities
   • if a jumping castle/amusement/animal farm is present
   • weddings/commitment ceremonies (and the like)
   • use for a film location
   • commercial photography and special events/activities requiring payment of a fee to a service provider (including companies providing curated picnics, marriage proposal ceremonies, commercial dog walking, commercial fitness training, art classes, and yoga classes)
3. define commercial photography with the intent to allow low impact commercial photography such as wedding parties and family photos; and
4. introduce new fees to Council’s 2021/22 Fees & Charges Schedule. Fees for booking a park to hold a special event, activity or gathering in North Sydney are contained in the ‘Permit for a Social Gathering in Parks and Reserves’ available on Council’s website. Existing fees and charges for parks and reserves for 60 or more guest would remain unchanged, however, it is proposed that new fees would be introduced for fewer than 60 guests, as follows:

**Council’s prime Sydney Harbour foreshore parks include:

1. Blues Point Reserve
2. Henry Lawson Reserve
3. Kirribilli Foreshore (includes Captain Henry Waterhouse Reserve, Dr Mary Booth Lookout, Copes Lookout and Stanton Lookout)
4. Lavender Bay Parklands (includes Lavender Bay Foreshore and Quibaree, Clark and Watt Parks)
5. Cremorne Reserve

For further information contact Council’s Director Open Space & Environmental Services on 9936 8100.