Mowbray Residents Demand Better Social Infrastructure

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Mowbray residents are not happy. They feel that the Lane Cove Council has not provided enough green space, park areas and social infrastructure for the Mowbray area. Mowbray residents feel very strongly that their community needs at least two decent parks (currently there are only two very small pocket parks – one of them the Council is negotiating to get rid of). Both existing parks need a big upgrade and some money spent on them.

We asked a representative from the Mowbray Precinct area to explain why they are not happy.

The thousands of new residents in the Mowbray Precinct DESERVE to have recreational space. Places where they can go to relax, meet, for the children to play, kick and ball and even have community events.

There is a massive need in this area for infrastructure to support this new community – particularly social infrastructure such as parks and community space.

The community needs the current two small parks. And the community needs one of these parks to be big enough to kick a ball, to be able to have community gatherings and picnics.

mowbray residents demand better social infrastructure

Helen St, on the other side of Lane Cove North has a wonderful park in the middle of this high density area that is used for community gatherings like Carols by Candlelight, Neighbour Day and a great place for mothers groups to meet with their kids and for kids to play and kick a ball.  This community also has the Meeting House community space which includes a kindergarten and meeting placing for the community.

The Mowbray Precinct, which will end up with a comparable number of residents, but will have NONE of this.

We should not have to give up one park in order to extend the other.

There is more than enough money from the developer contributions in the area for Council to purchase the now abandoned Department of Housing houses in Pinaroo Place and develop that park.  [ITC note: The General Manager of the Lane Cove Council was quoted in a North Shore Times Article on 3 February 2015 as stating. “The council is committed to providing a larger park and are working to acquire the properties within the first half of the year,”]

It is all a matter of Council’s priorities.  We are clearly not one of them.  Council is crying poor and telling us they don’t have the funds for the park. Yet look at the new park at the Burns Bay development, the plans for the Rosenthal development and the new facilities at Blackman Park. All great initiatives – but none of them in our part of Lane Cove.

Nearly all the developer contributions from the Mowbray Precinct are being spent else-where in Lane Cove and this community is being left to fend for itself.

Why should residents have to fight for what should just be a given… ?

What has Lane Cove come to?

Thousands of apartments have been built and what money has been spent by Council to provide social infrastructure for them?  Currently NOT ONE CENT.

This has been going on for over 4 years..

We can only hope that the Council will come to their senses and do something for a community that is crying out for it!

We have been fighting these type of issues for over 4 years now and it is exhausting and incredibly disappointing.”

Thank you to the Mowbray precinct residents for bringing this matter to our attention.  ITC thinks a very good point has been made.  Social infrastructure should be evenly distributed across the Lane Cove Council area.


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