The consortium wants the maximum lease term of 99 years reinstated in the legislation, and a requirement for open tender processes for leases over 10 years removed.
“Limiting the term of a new lease to significantly less than 99 years would result in an inability to attract the institutional capital required to fund the $2 billion proposed redevelopment,” it said in a submission to the inquiry.
A battle over on-grass car parking at Moore Park dates back decades.
Credit:James Brickwood
It warns that the plans for the construction of a hotel, short-term accommodation, car parking and other facilities will “not be feasible” under a 50-year lease.
Carsingha paid $80 million for a 30-year lease over the former showgrounds site in 2014.
Entertainment Quarter chairman Max Moore-Wilton and Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes will both appear at the inquiry. Mr Moore-Wilton is a former secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under John Howard, and ex-chairman of Sydney Airport.
Moore Park has been one of the most contested parklands in Australia, and a battle over on-grass car parking dates back decades.
The latest move to ban on-grass has drawn the ire of sporting codes which are tenants of the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Sydney Football Stadium, including Sydney FC, Sydney Roosters, NSW AFL, Sydney Swans, NSW Waratahs and Rugby Australia.
The sporting alliance has demanded any reference to parking on green space as “an offence or prohibited activity” be removed from the legislation, which is yet to pass the upper house.
It has rejected suggestions that the nearby Randwick Racecourse be used as an alternative parking site.
The alliance also supports Carsingha’s proposed development plan because it would stimulate sporting and entertainment industries “as Sydney seeks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Venues NSW, an agency responsible for stadia, has argued that removing all on-grass parking from late 2023 will leave the Moore Park precinct with 1100 fewer car parking spaces during events, and disadvantage residents from Sydney’s south and west.
Community group Saving Moore Park, which has fought for years for the removal of on-grass parking, said there would still be an ample supply of car spaces in the Moore Park precinct once temporary parking during events ceased.
“Parks are for people, not cars,” it said in a submission.
Upper house Greens MP David Shoebridge said the debate over the future of Moore Park exposed the struggle between competing interests of politics, sport and big business.
“It’s a classic David and Goliath battle with a $2 billion-dollar development and major sporting codes lining up against local residents and activists trying to protect parklands and public land,” he said.
Mr Shoebridge said the land was a “stone’s throw from Green Square,” which has population densities similar to Hong Kong.
“The pandemic taught us how precious passive open space is, those parks that aren’t covered in concrete or set aside just for sports fields.”
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