Centennial Parklands and Callan Park regulation update
Greater Sydney Parklands is updating the park regulation for Centennial Parklands (including Moore Park and Queens Park) and Callan Park to bring it in line with best practice park management.
We recently invited you to share your thoughts on the proposed park regulation updates for Centennial Parklands (including Moore Park and Queens Park) and Callan Park, to bring it in line with best practice park management and guidance on safe and equitable use of these iconic urban parks.
The Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Regulation 2014 currently applies to both parks and will be replaced with the updated regulation on 1 September 2024.
What is park regulation?
Park regulation is designed to support the safety and enjoyment of all park visitors by providing guidance on how they can use the parks and what behaviour is expected.
Regulation is a legislated requirement of the Parklands Acts and helps to educate the community on unauthorised or anti-social behaviour.
Regulation guides a range of activities and uses such as traffic management and parking, events and commercial activities, noise, waste disposal, alcohol-free zones, horse riding and animal management, camping, protection of park assets including flora and fauna, cycling and other recreational activities.
While some site-specific regulation is required to identify the differences between each park and their uses, we are looking to create more consistent regulation across Greater Sydney Parklands’ estate. This will make sure millions of annual visitors have a better understanding of the regulation, leading to an improved visitor experience.
The proposed updated regulation aims to reflect evolving community needs and desires regarding activation, plus the care and management of Sydney’s valuable park assets, including the protection of natural and cultural heritage.
Consultation
Consultation ran from 3 to 24 July 2024 (21 days).
We asked the community to provide feedback on the proposed regulation by:
• completing an online submission form via the NSW Planning Portal
• emailing a submission to [email protected]
We will communicate the updated regulation when it comes into effect on 1 September 2024.
What are the proposed changes to the regulation?
The Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust regulation was last updated in 2014. The proposed regulation includes important changes and improvements that will enable Greater Sydney Parklands to better maintain and protect its parks and assets, encourage visitation, and facilitate safety and enjoyment for all park visitors.
The proposed regulation has:
- been reordered and modernised to make it easier to reference, navigate and interpret
- had some clauses revised to bring them in line with other regulations under the responsibility of Greater Sydney Parklands (Western Sydney Parklands Regulation 2019 and Parramatta Park Trust Regulation 2019)
- had several redundant clauses identified for removal or consolidation
- noted ways to streamline approvals for recreation and events management
- broadened the approval of certain activities currently only permitted with the written permission of the Trust or Chief Executive, to include authorised officers or persons across several clauses.
Key changes to specific clauses in the regulation include:
| Clause* | Proposed changes |
|---|---|
| Visitor safety at major events - Clauses 7, 8, 14 and 15 | Clauses strengthened to better manage pedestrian safety around vehicles before, during and after large public events. |
| Gate opening times - Clause 16(1) | Reference to "sunrise to sunset" removed. |
| Vehicle use and parking - Clauses 19 and 21 | Clarifies the use of vehicles in the parks and improves access for emergency vehicles. |
| Recreational activities - Clause 26(f) | New restrictions on watercraft storage and tethering, and swimming. |
| Personal conduct and direction given by an authorised person - Clause 30(1) | Improved clarity regarding who can give direction in relation to personal conduct in the park, that includes an authorised person (in addition to an authorised officer) such as the employee of a security company or traffic controller. |
| Affixing items to trees or structures - Clause 33 | The new clause prohibits items such as signage being affixed to trees or park structures without consent. |
| Waste disposal - Clause 32 | Restriction on the disposal of waste has been incorporated with similar offences that can cause damage. |
| Failure to Comply with a Direction - Clause 30 | Strengthened to increase safety and enjoyment levels for patrons attending events in Centennial Parklands and Callan Park. Existing provisions have been augmented with the ability to control the sale of alcohol in certain areas of the park at public events which may have multiple age groups. |
| Other prohibitions relating to animals on Trust lands - Clause 42e | Now recognises the requirement to remove animal faeces deposited by authorised animals such as horses, in the same way that dog faeces must be removed. |
| Requirement to state name and address - Clause 45 | New clause that requires a person to give their name and address where they are suspected of having committed an offence under the regulation or the Act. The clause supports education and compliance with the regulation and aims to improve public safety. |
| Restriction on climbing trees removed - Clause 16 in the current regulation | The restriction on climbing trees has been removed from the proposed regulation. Tree climbing will be managed at the discretion of park rangers, with specific protections in place for at-risk trees. |
*Clause numbers may vary between proposed regulation and current regulation.
Frequently asked questions
Centennial Parklands (including Moore Park and Queens Park) and Callan Park have regulation to ensure the safe and equitable use and sharing of facilities for all park users.
The Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Regulation 2014 is enforceable by law until September 2024, when the updated park regulation will come into effect.
Community feedback will help inform the updates to our park regulation.
Greater Sydney Parklands is required by law to update the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Regulation 2014 by September 2024.
We update the regulation on a regular basis to:
- keep it current
- ensure the continued safety of our park users
- ensure compliance with government regulation
- assist with enforcement of regulation and prevent unauthorised and anti-social behaviour
- ensure we meet community needs and expectations for protecting our park assets, including natural and cultural heritage.
Greater Sydney Parklands aims to have consistent regulation across all the parks we manage to bring them in line with best practice park management and ensure safe and equitable use and sharing of the parks.
More consistent regulation will make sure millions of people who visit our parklands each year understand how they can use the parks and what behaviours are expected, leading to a better visitor experience.
Updated regulation for Centennial Parklands was drafted in 2020, however during that time Greater Sydney Parklands was created, incorporating Callan Park into Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust (CPMPT). Therefore, the regulation update was delayed so that Callan Park could be brought in line with the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Act 1983.
The draft regulation was open for community consultation between 3 July 2024 to 24 July 2024 (21 days), with updated regulation to be legislated by 1 September 2024.
Greater Sydney Parklands was created in 2022, at which time the ownership of Callan Park was transferred to Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust (CPMPT), under Greater Sydney Parklands management.
Therefore, the CPMPT regulation applies to Callan Park and will be updated for consistency across the 5 urban parks that Greater Sydney Parklands manages. The updated regulation will include some changes to reflect the unique characteristics and uses of each park. For example, Callan Park is located on Iron Cove, a tributary of Parramatta River, so regulation around boating and mooring of boats is required.
Greater Sydney Parklands is required by law to update the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust (CPMPT) Regulation 2014 by 1 September 2024. Future updates can be made to the regulation responding to the Callan Park Plan of Management once it is approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces.
Greater Sydney Parklands consulted the community for feedback on proposed updates to the Centennial Parklands (including Moore Park and Queens Park) and Callan Park regulation to ensure it reflects current community needs and expectations. It is a legal requirement for the draft regulation to be exhibited for community feedback for 21 days.
The regulation has been updated to be consistent across all parks that Greater Sydney Parklands manages (Callan Park, Centennial Parklands including Moore Park and Queens Park, Fernhill Estate, Parramatta Park and Western Sydney Parklands) with some rules reflecting the unique characteristics and uses in each park.
Updates to the regulation will ensure:
- park regulations are in line with best practice park management
- continued safety of park visitors
- compliance with government regulation
- equitable use and sharing of the park
- enforcement of regulation is consistent across the Greater Sydney Parklands estate
- protection for park assets including natural and cultural heritage
- prevention of unauthorised or anti-social behaviour.
With the consultation period now closed, we will review feedback received, respond to submissions and prepare a report on the outcomes of the consultation.
Greater Sydney Parklands will ensure the updated regulation is communicated when it comes into effect on 1 September 2024.
Park regulation enables a range of uses and activities to be conducted in our parks, ensuring safe and equitable use and sharing of the space, while protecting our park assets including natural and cultural heritage.
The park regulation is being updated to align with best practice park management to ensure a consistent application across the 5 urban parks managed by Greater Sydney Parklands. Some rules are required to reflect the unique characteristics and uses of each park. For example, Callan Park is located on Iron Cove, a tributary of Parramatta River, so regulation around boating and mooring of boats is required.
There will be no change to the Companion Animals Management Plan for Callan Park.