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Marsfield Common is a proposal by two community-based organisations, Eastwood Rugby and North Ryde RSL, to renew the TG Millner Field site by creating 132 low-rise, diverse homes and a new public park for the local community.
Regrettably, the TG Millner rugby fields are now largely unused. The privately-owned site is at risk of either overdevelopment or decline. Marsfield Common seeks to best reconnect today’s community to the site through new neighbours, new local access, new opportunities, and new ideas.
The proposal included community benefits such as:
- 132 low-rise terrace homes. No apartments and no high rise. There will only be site-appropriate terrace houses of no more than 2 storeys;
- Increased open space the dedication of a new 10,000m2 public park on the site, well-lit with multi-purpose court space for badminton, basketball and netball;
- An allocation of $5 million towards affordable and social housing in Ryde, and;
- An additional 570 trees to be planted on the site, including tree canopy coverage of 65%.
The Marsfield Common proposal was first submitted to Council on 18 May 2022, addressing all the matters raised by Council officers in pre-lodgement discussions and was supported and praised by Ryde Council officers in the original planning stages. The proposal was subsequently submitted to the NSW Government via the Department of Planning and Environment for consideration by the relevant Sydney District Planning Panel in December 2022. The Panel refused the application on the basis of advice from Council that the site was likely to be acquired for public open space purposes in the near future. In November 2022, Ryde Council initiated a non-exclusive negotiation process to purchase the TG Millner site from the North Ryde RSL, before seeking permission from the state government to compulsory acquire the site.
On 12 April 2024, the NSW Government refused Ryde Council’s request to seek to compulsorily acquire TG Millner Field. The NSW Government’s decision was made because Ryde Council, despite being provided with every opportunity to do so, could not provide any strategic justification for the proposed acquisition of the site, nor does it have the monies required to acquire and regenerate TG Millner Field. In this regard, the Minister for Local Government noted that Council’s flagship Ryde Central project has stalled and is a hole in the ground, while Council officers identified a $224M shortfall in Council’s capital budget in November 2023.
The privately-owned TG Millner site cannot stay as it is as it continues to impact the North Ryde RSL Community Clubs ability to support its members and the wider community. Our intention is to now resubmit this planning proposal for determination by the relevant consent authorities.