STEP, Friends of Lane Cove National Park and FOKE are appalled at Ku-ring-gai councillors’ recent decision around the future of Norman Griffiths Oval and particularly the lack of probity which underpinned this decision. The disastrous project has seen the previous contractor fired, major design changes, EPA clean up notices and it has been plagued by cost blowouts from $3.3 million to projected $13.4 million.
Despite the Chief Scientist recommending synthetic turf fields should not be placed in flood prone areas or sensitive areas (1), last Thursday Ku-ring-gai councillors voted to continue building a synthetic field at Norman Griffiths Oval rather than finish it as a well-drained modern natural turf field, similar to the recently constructed Bob Campbell Oval at Greenwich. The oval itself is surrounded by a critically endangered plant community and built on top of a creek that runs directly into Lane Cove National Park where numerous endangered and vulnerable species have been mapped.
Shockingly, the report which councillors relied on to vote on the matter was based on assumptions from a company which ‘specialises in the advocacy and promotion of synthetic sports surfaces’. There is a clear conflict of interest for an entity which is meant to be providing an ‘independent’ analysis of synthetic versus natural turf. Contact information shows that Smart Connections Consultancy was also involved in the initial failed project.
The report shows a clear bias towards synthetic fields. Examples of this is include:
- An assumption that council will charge users of the field a 56% higher hourly hiring rate if the oval has a synthetic surface than a natural turf surface.
- There is no reason the same hourly rate could not be charged for both surfaces, particularly for a well-drained properly designed natural turf field. This is nothing more than an attempt to bias and rig the net cost benefit analysis in favour of synthetic surfaces.
- Stating that synthetic fields can handle 40 to 60+ hours a week or compared with 20 to 30 hours a week for natural grass, despite the fact that the vast majority of ovals in NSW receive less than 46 hours per week of formal sport and school use. NSW’s Best-practice Guidelines for Sporting Fields note that they can provide up to 50 hours a week. (2)
- The natural turf specialist advised council that a biobasin is not required for the natural turf alternative but council chose to include these costs for a natural field.
Jill Green (President of STEP):
It is appalling that Ku-ring-gai Council is relying on this report when a lack of due diligence and independent analysis got the project into trouble from the start for the same reasons.
Tony Butteriss (President of Friends of Lane Cove National Park):
15% of microplastics in Sydney’s waterways come from synthetic turf and National Parks and Wildlife Service have raised the alarm around chemical leachates entering the park.
Kathy Cowley (President of FOKE):
We are fully supportive of an upgrade to Norman Griffiths Oval, however we don’t need ovals that are hot in summer and close down use for passive recreation such as picnicking and dog walking.
Only Mayor Christine Kay and Councillor Indu Balachandran voted for the project to be finished as a new generation natural turf field.
Council are yet to respond to a legal letter asking for an explanation about the report’s conflict of interest.
- R1.4 Risk assessments are undertaken, and synthetic turf fields are not approved in areas of high environmental risk. This includes bushfire prone areas and areas with a higher likelihood of flooding.
R1.1d Fields located in proximity to or draining into a sensitive ecosystem are independently assessed. Runoff should be sampled, with testing outcomes reported on and remediation action taken to bring testing within acceptable scientific standards. - A study of about 1,150 fields in greater Sydney found 99% receive less than 46 hours per week of formal sport and school use. The hours of actual use are frequently much lower than those reported in a council booking schedule.
Media contact: Christiane Berlioz (0478 489 436) (download a PDF of the statement published on 16 September 2025)