Going against the advice of heritage consultants, Ryde Mayor Trenton Brown will again seek heritage protection for TG Millner Field, claiming a previous report did not “encapsulate the full criteria of heritage” for the park he grew up playing footy on. 

But six years on, the report’s author says the facts haven’t changed.

What happened: Plans to convert the former home of Eastwood Rugby Club into an 132 home mini-suburb have been pushed back six months by Ryde Council, which has placed an interim heritage order on the field. 

Heritage, heritage: The heritage listing of the field was investigated by Ryde Council in 2019. After engaging independent heritage consultants, a report was returned to council advising against any heritage listing. 

What he said: When asked about this, Mayor Brown claimed the report was “not sufficient” and failed to consider the site’s rarity. When informed the report did in fact state “the field is not rare”, he said he’d beg to differ.

Chery Kemp, one of the heritage experts who wrote the report, says it still holds up. 

“Even at the time I got the feeling that the community wanted a different answer than the one I gave them”, she told the Lorikeet. “But the heritage process is well established”.

The report describes the site as a “typical suburban sports field developed in the 1960s”.

“[It] has no aesthetic or research significance. [It] has little historical significance”.

How we got here: In 2021, North Ryde RSL Club, the owners of the North Ryde field were keen to repurpose their land. They claimed maintenance costs had become prohibitive. 

Over time, a plan emerged to redevelop the site into low-rise housing. 

Mayor Brown has railed against the plan, claiming the field is an essential part of Ryde’s “sporting and recreational fabric”. 

He said it was important to preserve the field in order to maintain green open space in Ryde.

On Wednesday, Brown and five other councillors successfully delayed development by placing a six-month interim heritage order on the site. When asked about the cost of this, Brown said it “won't be excessive”.

What is that: Interim heritage orders are put in place when a site with potential heritage value (but no official listing) is under threat. They are lodged by local councils, and create a period of up to 12 months where no work can be done on a site while it is assessed.

Will it work? The interim order gives no guarantee the field will be saved, only that it will be assessed for heritage value. If none can be found, work will go on.

The decision also risks attracting the ire of NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully, who has previously warned local councils that “new heritage listings must not be used to avoid delivering new homes”. 

Kemp said that while she can understand the significance of the field to the community, heritage cannot be fabricated to prevent development. 

Woods: Eastwood Rugby Club is currently playing their final season with the field as their homeground and face Sydney University in the preliminary finals this Saturday. After that, they plan to move to a new homeground, proposed to be built at Fred Caterson Reserve, Castle Hill. 

A lifeline has emerged for imperilled Crows Nest childcare centre Kelly’s Place, after NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully announced the state was considering a plan to save the iconic centre. 

What happened: For 38 years, Kelly’s Place has operated in Crows Nest as a not-for-profit childcare centre. In that time, they have been provided a council property rent-free, given the cost-savings are passed on directly to local parents. 

Time’s up: North Sydney Council now wants the land back in order to expand Hume Street Park. Plans for this project have been in motion since 2012. 

Hands tied: While the decision drew strong criticism from both the centre and local member for Willoughby Tim James, there was little either could do: the land belongs to council, and James is currently in opposition. 

A new hope: But last week in a budget estimates session, NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully revealed the state government had plans to retain the centre.

While the land and property belongs to North Sydney Council, the redevelopment of the park — including its design — will be paid for and managed by the state. Scully said that in response to community feedback, his department would propose two designs: “one that includes a childcare centre and one that doesn't”. 

He also claimed there has been “good engagement with the parents” and thanked Tim James for the “hot tip that this might be an issue”. 

What now: The director of the childcare centre, Katie Newton was sceptical of the announcement. She said she’d need to see concrete plans before any celebrations. 

“There's been a lot of talk but now we need some action”, she told the Lorikeet. “We need to see the concept plans.” 

Read the full story here, or watch our video explainer below.

A quick transport update for this Wednesday.

Ferry services running between the North Shore and the city will come to a halt today, as the Maritime Union of Australia announces they will strike against their employer TransDev. 

What happened: Ferry workers who are members of the Maritime Union are currently seeking a wage increase of 5 percent from their employer Transdev, a French multinational corporation that operates Sydney’s ferries, light rails and Eastern Suburbs bus routes.

Today, workers will go on strike from 9am until 2pm. From 2pm onwards, services will resume with Opal readers switched off. 

What they said: Deputy Branch Secretary Paul Garrett claimed the action was to ensure wages for ferry workers kept up with inflation and the rising cost of living.

“The community should not have to rely on a privately owned and operated multinational company like Transdev to decide whether the local workers who operate Sydney’s iconic ferries deserve a decent wage”, he said. 

Comment has been sought from Transdev.