Moore Park golf course to be sliced in half to make room rising population Sydney

A public golf course in central Sydney will be halved from 18 to nine holes and transformed into the city’s ‘central park’.

NSW Premier Chris Minns announced the shock move at a press conference on Sunday, to the horror of golfers who pay to play the Moore Park Golf Course.

The state government will take about 20 hectares and turn it into a park to serve the 80,000 people estimated to be living within two kilometers of the area by 2040.

“As the New South Wales Government brings more density, more apartments and more units, we need to balance that with more open space,” Mr Minns said.

‘This will transform people’s experiences when they visit the largest city in the world, with more natural parks (and) more recreational space.

NSW Premier Chris Minns announced the shock move at a press conference on Sunday, to the horror of golfers who pay to play at the Moore Park Golf Course

“It’s a great opportunity for the residents of this community to get outside and have fun with their family and friends in this densely populated area.”

The Green Square urban renewal area already has approximately 33,000 inhabitants, but this will more than double in the next seventeen years.

Taking half of the golf course, which is currently only accessible to people who pay to play there, will open up more green space to the public, with sport and recreation a priority for the area.

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore joined the Prime Minister in the announcement, saying the gold club’s driving range and clubhouse would not be affected.

Mr Minns said his government was “certainly not declaring war on golf”.

He said locals are asking for more parks and the area is “one of the most densely populated parts of the entire country.”

“I just want to say there are a lot of golf courses in Sydney and we’re not going to take them all over,” he said.

He said the move was “a recognition by government that as we make decisions about urban consolidation, more units, more apartments, there also needs to be more green space.

“This has to be a trade-off and this is part of our vision for Sydney.”

State MP Alex Greenwich, whose electorate includes the race, enthusiastically supported the change, saying times have changed.

“You know, closed 18-hole golf courses are no longer fit for purpose in global cities (where density continues to grow),” he said.

‘This is a huge opportunity to open up new parkland and we will see golf buggies replaced by picnic mats and children playing, which is what we need in this part of the world.’

The area likely to be used for the new public park is between the western boundary and part of the section north of Dacey Avenue (photo)

State MP Alex Greenwich (pictured), whose electorate includes the race, enthusiastically supported the change, saying times have changed. Labor councilor Linda Scott is also pictured

The golf course’s operating agreement with the state government ends in 2026 and the changes will begin then.

The area likely to be used for the new public park is between the western boundary and part of the section north of Dacey Avenue, which will provide easy access to people living in Green Square, Zetland and Waterloo.

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully also said more open space is needed as Sydney’s inner suburbs become more densely populated.

“The communities of Redfern, Waterloo, Green Square and Zetland are crying out for more green space and this change will go a long way to meeting their needs,” he said.