Newsletter 52 – Waverton Bowling Club – Next Step

What is to become of the Waverton Bowling Green?

Waverton Park:

• Comprised, when established back in 1943, the land between Woolcott Street and the north shore of Berrys Bay;
• between 1967 and 2019 the section fronting Woolcott Street was leased for use as a bowling club;
• in 2020 North Sydney Council pressed the State Government to make the land available for inclusion into Waverton Park and
• in 2022 the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council succeeded with its claim to have title transferred to it.

Competing Interests

North Sydney, compared to all metropolitan Council areas, has one of the lowest rations of open green to residents – 550 residents per hectare compared, for example, with Kur-ring-gai with 84 and Mosman with 176.

• North Sydney Council was working to have it reincorporated into Waverton Park.

The Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council is entitled to realise the value for the land.

Two of many ways forward

One way – The Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council has said that it wants to establish a cultural centre of the land. That may involve a change in zoning.

Another way – Council could move to acquire by resumption the bowling green land using its powers under the Local Government Act 1993 and then re-incorporate it into Waverton Park.

The Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council would be entitled to fair value.

• How to determine fair value?
• The Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act sets up a mechanism to do just that – determine fair value at the time of the resumption.

A motion that would have allowed the matter to be debated was put forward on an urgent basis to the last Council meeting.

The mayor refused to accept the motion so there was no debate which is a pity because a debate leads to testing and reforming views.

What to do?

What do you think should be done by North Sydney Council – I would very much like to hear from you on this matter.

Ian Mutton