Next Steps

No, TG Millner Field has always been privately owned land.

Eastwood Rugby and North Ryde RSL have spent the past 30+ years trying to ‘Save TG Millner Field’. In December 2025, the site was sold to Winston Langley and Abadeen Group, who understand the site’s history, share the Club’s belief in the Marsfield Common planning proposal, and possess the resources and ability to continue through the rezoning and development application process. A link to the Member Announcement by NRRSL can be found here.

Ryde Council has previously had over 8 years to acquire TG Millner Field for a fair market price, and it has neither the funds nor the strategic justification to do so – a point acknowledged by the NSW Government in refusing Council’s compulsory acquisition requests in April 2024 and again in July 2025.

No, the Marsfield Common proposal for TG Millner Field does not contain any apartment blocks or high-rises. Unlike nearly all urban infill sites of this nature in Sydney, Marsfield Common will be a similar density to the surrounding neighbourhood, which was developed over 50 years ago.

The Marsfield Common proposal includes a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) offer to Ryde Council which proposes over $27 million in community benefits – including affordable housing, the planting of 570 new trees and 1-hectare of public open space.

Should Ryde Council not accept the proposed VPA offer, standard Council and State Government contributions will be payable in relation to the project.

Ryde Council has neither the money nor the strategic justification to purchase TG Millner Field – a point acknowledged by the NSW Government in twice refusing Council’s compulsory acquisition requests in April 2024 and again in July 2025.

No, the Marsfield Common proposal will increase public open space in Ryde. The privately-owned TG Millner Field is not public open space now. The Marsfield Common proposal will increase public open space in the Ryde LGA through the proposed dedication of 10,000m² of public open space to the community.

No, the State Labor Government and the Liberal Opposition never made any formal election promises to ‘save’ TG Millner Field at the March 2023 Election. The NSW Parliamentary Budget Office (an independent body) produces costings of each party’s election commitments prior to every NSW election. There is no mention of any promises relating to TG Millner Field in either party’s election commitments.

The TG Millner site has reached the end of its life in terms of its current uses.

Since 2000, first as a tenant and subsequently as the owner, it has cost North Ryde RSL and its members an exorbitant amount of money each year to operate the fields and Sports Club at TG Millner, with few games and an average of 40 people visiting the licensed Club each day.

Over the past 5 years, the playing fields at TG Millner were used only 20 times by local community sporting clubs or schools each year, excluding the use by the Eastwood Rugby Club.

Marsfield is a thriving suburb of Sydney and the demographics and needs of the local community have vastly changed in recent decades. 68% of the local community now derives its ancestry from countries where the sport of Rugby is rarely even heard of. Only 4% of Eastwood rugby players live within the Ryde LGA.

Marsfield Common aims to revitalise the TG Millner site and reconnects today’s community to the site, and offers over $27million in community benefits through a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) including 10,000m² of public open space, and an allocation of $6 million towards affordable housing and the enhancement of local sporting facilities in Ryde.

Marsfield Common is a planning proposal prepared by North Ryde RSL and Winston Langley/Abadeen to redevelop TG Millner Field, creating 132 low-rise, terrace homes and new public open space for the surrounding community.

For the past 30 years, both North Ryde RSL and Eastwood Rugby Clubs have gone to great lengths to keep TG Millner Field alive, but TG Millner Field is no longer relevant to the community that surrounds it – a decline initially identified by Eastwood Rugby in 1990 and reflected in the continued decline of the licensed Club to the present date.

Eastwood Rugby (whose long-term patron is Rob Millner – the grandson of TG Millner) made a decision in 2017 to move to a new location within the 58-hectare Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill, which is closer to their main player base. Only 4% of Eastwood’s current players and participants are from the Ryde area and Rugby is no longer a popular sport in the Ryde LGA.

In the Marsfield Common proposal, approximately 15% (10,000m²) of the currently privately-owned TG Millner Field is proposed to be dedicated to the community as public open space for low-impact recreation purposes, to be further developed in consultation with the local community.

The plans propose extensive play space for all ages, including a seniors’ exercise park and walking loop, together with multi-purpose court space for badminton, volleyball and basketball, permanent table-tennis courts etc. All of the options under consideration will be less intensive than rugby game days and the final design will reflect the views of the local community and key stakeholders.

Yes, Marsfield Common includes a Voluntary Planning Agreement offer to Council of a $5M contribution for the provision of affordable key worker housing within the Ryde LGA.

On 4 December 2025, the NSW Government made a Gateway Determination for the Marsfield Common planning proposal for TG Millner Field, directing that it proceed to public exhibition and assessment.

The Gateway Determination is a key milestone in the development process and follows extensive independent assessment of the proposal by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI), which endorsed the June 2025 decision of the Sydney North Planning Panel that the planning proposal has strategic and site-specific merit and should proceed.

The Marsfield Common proposal was first submitted to Ryde Council in May 2022. While extensive community consultation has taken place over the last 3½ years, a formal public exhibition process will be undertaken by the DPHI in early 2026. This will be an opportunity for the community to have their say on the Marsfield Common proposal and, ideally, show support for the much-needed, site-appropriate housing and creation of new public open space for the local community.

We will continue to provide information on the planning proposal and public exhibition process as further details come to hand. If you would like updates on the project, please enter your details on our homepage or contact info@marsfieldcommon.com.au.

The vision for Marsfield Common has been developed by a high-quality consultant team, led by DKO architecture (www.dko.com.au) and Ethos Urban Planning (now Colliers Urban Planning), both of whom have extensive experience in complex Masterplan proposals of this nature.

DKO has won sustainability awards and is known for taking particular care in integrating the natural surrounds with their housing projects, such as their Orion Braybrook community of contemporary townhouse terraces laid out across 11 hectares of landscaped streetscapes and pocket parks.

Colliers Urban Planning was integrally involved in the redevelopment of Putney Hill, which is regarded as a leading example of the regeneration of aging ‘urban infill’ infrastructure and is located in the Ryde LGA.

The project is being developed by Winston Langley and Abadeen Group.

Founded in 2003, Winston Langley is a property development and property advisory company with a focus on residential, retail, Club and mixed-use projects in NSW.

Winston Langley has a long history of working in successful joint ventures with landowners, many of whom are community organisations, to strategically unlock the value of their property holdings in order to ensure the regeneration and future success of these organisations.

Winston Langley is a dynamic property development company that delivers on its promises. Winston Langley operates ethically, honestly and fairly and maintains these values in its dealings with all stakeholders.

www.winstonlangley.com.au

Established in 2000, Abadeen is a leading property developer and the number one developer of premium projects on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. The company specialises in premium residential, mixed-use developments and communities across Australia, with a strong national presence. Abadeen is actively delivering more than 20 mixed-use and land lease sites across NSW, VIC, QLD and WA, backed by a $3.5billion+ project pipeline.

Abadeen’s award-winning Putney Wharf development in the Ryde LGA stands as a benchmark for the architectural quality, public-realm outcomes and long-term value the group brings to its projects. Community members are encouraged to visit our Putney Wharf display suite to experience firsthand the level of design and detail reflective of the vision for Marsfield Common.

With a consumer-first approach, strong industry partnerships and deep market expertise, Abadeen is committed to delivering high-quality, enduring developments that enhance communities and create long-term value.

www.abadeen.com.au

Currently, the privately-owned site sits largely unused as an open field and occasional parking lot, while upkeep of the grounds wastes significant water resources. We believe this area has the potential to better serve both the community and the environment.

The NSW Government has stated that to create a sustainable, liveable and cool Greater Sydney, we need trees and green cover. In their commitment to more trees, cleaner air and more beautiful places to live, the Government has made a commitment to plant five million trees by 2030.

The development of Marsfield Common will include the planting of approximately 570 new trees where the open football fields currently stand. This will generated circa 65% tree canopy cover across the precinct (60% greater than State Government requirements), providing shade for families and friends to enjoy the new public space in comfort.

It was also a priority to retain trees that already stand on the site which we have identified as high value to the local environment and community. Our pre-development tree assessment has identified a number of high-value trees that will be successfully integrated into the expanded tree canopy for the site.

In addition, the project included a wide range of sustainability and Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) initiatives relating to water, stormwater management, solar, energy-efficiency, environmental and waste management matters.