Loss of Playing Fields

The loss of playing fields would be quite dramatic. I went to Cooks Cove South and counted the playing fields. There are 14 fields (see picture further down). 11 fields are full-sized, including Saint George Soccer Stadium. Three fields are definitely small and are presumably for children. I marked those with an "S". I marked fields with goals already installed with "G" at each end.

According to the NSW government document Cook Cove Indicative Development Proposal - Kogarah Golf Course Relocation, there are four playing fields planned for the site of the current golf course, including one stadium. That would mean that despite a growing population placing more demands on those playing fields, we would have about 10 less playing fields including 7 full-sized ones.

What about the playing fields that the developer already built?

The developer's position is that they already built a number of playing fields under the Development Application that was approved in 2006 for a technology park in Cook Cove North. They cite the Ilinden Soccer Stadium on West Botany Street, Kogarah and a some more fields in Scarborough Park.

That argument is invalid for the following reasons:

• Those extra playing fields were established on publicly owned land. Had the new playing fields not been built, we would have had the old playing fields plus the potential to build the new playing fields in the future. So, there is no compensation for the actual land we stand to lose and the potential to have additional playing fields.
• John Boyd Properties put its limited liability subsidiary behind the 2006 DA into administration. The whole point of establishing limited liability subsidiaries is that they are treated as separate companies. We should not accept that that the previous subsidiary was an entirely separate company in terms of liabilities, but not a separate company in terms of credit for the new playing fields.
• Whether or not the new proposal goes ahead, the playing fields built for the 2006 DA remain. We don't need to accept the new proposal to keep those playing fields and therefore we should not count them in the cost-benefit analysis for the new proposal.

It is unclear how many playing fields were established for the 2006 DA. The Cook Cove Inlet website only says: "In 2008 and 2009, $8m worth of significant open space improvement works were undertaken offsite at Scarborough and Bicentennial Parks in the Rockdale LGA in order to facilitate the relocation of sporting clubs and the pending redevelopment of the Cook Cove site."

Picture of Playing Fields in Cooks Cove South

Photo by Google Earth