By Duncan Leys, Acting President

Members will be no doubt be aware of Premier Minns’ announcement on 9 December that the Greyhound Racing Lease for Wentworth Park will not be extended beyond 2027 and Wentworth Park will be returned to the public for mixed use of open space, sport and recreation. I would like to thank all those members who have been campaigning for this outcome for many, many years.

Kobi Shetty (Member for Balmain) has confirmed with the office of the Minister for Planning that all the parkland will return to the community for a mixed use of sport and passive recreation, which will allow the surrounding areas to be rezoned for higher density building.  No apartments will be built on the parkland.  Rezoning will be led by Council of Sydney as an additional stage of their existing Pyrmont/Ultimo strategy.

As reported in the December 2025 Bulletin, the Glebe Society has had a clear position on the return of Wentworth Park to the community for many decades and contributed to strategy plans developed by the City of Sydney Council after wide community consultation. You can find out more in these links. 

  1.  A Community Vision for Wentworth Park, November 2024
  2.  Wentworth Park Vision and Structure Plan, October 2025

See also our explainer Wentworth Park decision up in the air.

Plan for Wentworth Park north west aerial view, developed by City of Sydney, following community consultation in 2022 (image: Mark Gerada, City of Sydney)