Get off the grass: 21 person group limit set for North Sydney parks

Any group larger than 21 people will soon need to cough up some dough to use St Leonards Park, under a new North Sydney open space policy.

What happened: The amended policy was written with the aim of addressing commercial use of North Sydney’s public parks, such as St Leonards Park, Blues Point Reserve and Ted Mack Reserve.

• Adopted on Monday evening, the policy will come into effect on July 1.
  

• Previously, up to 60 individuals had been able to use a park before any booking or fee was required.

Who is it for: The targets of the policy are professional dog-walkers, fitness classes, weddings and private schools making use of the many parks in the North Sydney LGA. 

Under the new rules, anyone conducting commercial activity on public land will be charged a fee by council.

However, regular residents hosting events larger than 21 will be caught in the new fee structure too. This would include events like birthday parties and casual football games. 

A number of parks will be exempt from the new 21 person limit, maintaining the previous cap of 60 people before a fee is charged. 

• These include: Anzac Park, Brennan Park, Green Park, Primrose Park, Milson Park, St Thomas Rest Park, Tunks Park (excluding the foreshore), Warringah Park, and Waverton Park.

When asked what the fee structure for booking would look like, a council spokesperson said “fees and charges will be developed in accordance with the pricing principles contained within the policy … this will occur before 1 July 2026”. 

These stated principles say the fees should be fair, transparent and proportionate to impact. It waits to be seen how this will look.

Thumbnail: North Sydney Council