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    STEP Matters 231

    Still more to be revealed about the Norman Griffiths Oval construction – there is still hope for a natural grass surface

    Still more to be revealed about the Norman Griffiths Oval construction – there is still hope for a natural grass surface

    After much speculation and discussion during council meetings and behind the scenes, on 20 May 2025 the decision was finally taken to terminate the contract with Turf One for the construction of the stormwater management system and installation of synthetic turf at Norman Griffiths Oval in West Pymble. In recent months it was obvious that there was a dispute between council and the contractor over responsibility for the multitude of issues that have arisen during construction that had virtually come to a standstill.

    Problems with water and sediment management have continued. Perhaps the final straw was the heavy rain in May that led to the expensive need for vac-trucks to remove the large volume of muddy water that exceeded the biobasin’s capacity.

    In response to environmental breaches, budget blowouts, design issues and unresolved disputes, council has now taken possession of the site and is committing to a fresh direction. Prompt action has been taken to fix the continuing stormwater management problems.

    Cost blowout

    The original contract cost of $3.2 million was increased by $1.5 million in April 2024 because of decisions to change materials used, problems discovered during construction (unconsolidated fill and asbestos) and time delays affecting costs.

    On top of that there are additional costs incurred relating to environmental work undertaken by council (such as to remove water from the site, relining pipes, provision of sediment controls outside of work area, asbestos works), legals costs, consultancy and project administration costs. The total of these costs is $2.2 million.

    So the total incurred so far is $6.9 million but the project is not completed yet. There are rumours that the total could get up to over $13 million.

    Read the full story and timeline.

    What happens next?

    Council is now reassessing the status of the project and has commissioned an independent review of the project management to see what lessons are to be learned. In the last month council has implemented extra stormwater control measures and reviewed the requirements to complete the project. There is no estimate of when the project will be finished.

    Please can we have natural turf?

    Council is also looking into the design, cost and time required to build a natural turf field in comparison to the completion of a synthetic field. This information is urgent as further work on installing a synthetic field will have to wait until there is to be a genuine consideration of the alternative natural turf field.

    Natural Turf Alliance Forum

    The Natural Turf Alliance has been closely engaged with progress at Norman Griffiths. A community forum was held on 10 June in the freezing cold Ku-ring-gai Town Hall with a large audience that asked many pertinent questions.

    The presentations opened with an update on Norman Griffiths Oval. Then Rob Hanna gave a powerful and practical demonstration — using blocks of wood — to show the significant cost savings possible had natural turf been considered from the outset.

    There was an overview of the best-practice guidelines for climate resilient sporting fields, followed by Dr Mick Battam who shared compelling insights into natural turf management, including:

    • the role of proper weed control in reducing the appearance of wear and tear; and
    • the critical importance of turf and soil selection in building field resilience.

    The core message: natural turf is not only possible—it is the best option for player health, community well-being, and environmental sustainability.

    Cat Carver, president of the Natural Turf Alliance, shared stories of advocacy across Sydney that reminded us that our community is not alone—and that information and research are powerful tools for change.

    We must have full transparency about future plans

    The community needs to ask council to be transparent with decisions about the future of Norman Griffiths Oval. We need to know:

    • The outcome of the independent review of what went wrong with the project.
    • The cost of converting the project over to natural turf compared with retaining synthetic turf and the elements and assumptions included in the costings in accordance with the guidelines that come into force in August.
    • If synthetic turf is installed:
      • when replaced, how it will be recycled;
      • that regular testing for PFAS and PFOA be carried out (information is emerging about the risks to human health and ecosystems).

    We note that synthetic turf is becoming more out of favour overseas. FIFA has banned it for World Cup games and players are experiencing heat exhaustion in the US.

    Header image: vac-trucks in action 19 May 2025