Beloved park F.S. Garside returns after a multi-million-dollar facelift

F.S Garside Park’s transformation into a multi-purpose facility for the entire community to enjoy is now complete, with the park officially opening today.

The popular North Granville park now boasts a BMX pump track, multi-use sports court, flying fox, new playground including nature play, climbing structures, swings and play tower, picnic and barbecue facilities, sports facilities and grandstand due to $17 million in funding from the NSW Government.

City of Parramatta chief executive Ms Gail Connolly PSM said it marks a new era for the North Granville community.

“This park is for everyone – it’s a new chapter for F.S. Garside and we’re excited to see it fully restored for a new generation of young families and people to enjoy,” Ms Connolly said.

“More than 160 trees, 130 shrubs and 26,600 groundcover plants have been added - all predominantly Australian natives – while more than 16,700 square metres of turf will now be cultivated and cared for to ensure the community will be able to play on well-established and durable grass sports fields.

“This project is the benchmark for site remediation – righting the wrongs of the past and creating a vibrant space that is safe to explore.”

The park’s sporting field will remain closed as the grass continues to establish roots and is expected to open to the public in late 2024.

Community consultation on the draft concept plan was completed late 2021 with the community in favour of the proposal. Following the consultation, Council committed to plant a minimum of 128 mature trees at the park to strategically ensure optimal canopy coverage. Concern over the number of public amenities has also been addressed with toilets, change rooms and a kiosk included in the final design.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the NSW Government has invested a combined $17 million in funding to support new and existing houses and units in the precinct with grant funding from the NSW Government’s Parramatta Road Urban Amenity Improvement Program (PRUAIP) and the Accelerated Infrastructure Fund.

“This former landfill site has been transformed with more than 15,600 tonnes of contaminated soil removed to create an outstanding facility to be enjoyed by the broader North Granville community for generations to come,” Minister Scully said.

“The new public open spaces will make sure F.S. Garside Park becomes the local centrepiece for community sport and a place for families to come together to enjoy the outdoors.”

Parramatta MP Donna Davis said it’s a new chapter for the park.

“With the re-opening of F S Garside we can look forward to wonderful memory making as goals are scored, sausages are turned on the barbie, BMX burn down the track and imaginations run wild in this magical playground,” Ms Davis said.

“This important upgrade to F.S. Garside Park will directly benefit up to 7,600 surrounding homes for the Parramatta community.

“Our NSW Government is fully committed to delivering the public infrastructure needed to support new housing like the F.S. Garside upgrade.”

The $17 million F.S. Garside remediation and upgrade has been proudly funded by the NSW Government with $12 million from the Parramatta Road Urban Amenity Improvement Program (PRUAIP) and an additional $5 million from the NSW Government’s Accelerated Infrastructure Fund.

The park was closed in 2019 to remediate the site and allow for construction work to take place as part of this project.

List of new facilities at F.S. Garside Park

District sized playground with nature play, climbing structures, flying fox, swings and play tower. Includes picnic facilities and BBQs Table tennis and basketball/mini-soccer, a partially fenced multi-use sports court with lighting, seating, shelters and drinking station Semi-professional level soccer field suitable to hold ticketed sporting events Precast concrete BMX pump track Pedestrian access park pathways with lighting Public amenities building including toilets, change rooms and kiosk 58 car parking spaces around the edges of the park, including 6 disabled spaces. Fitness equipment Creek embankment stabilisation works and bush regeneration including native tree, shrub and groundcover planting Permanent pathway link from Onslow Street to Arthur Street to improve connectivity and encourage walking

About F.S. Garside Park

Historic records show that after F.S. Garside operated as a local landfill site up in the early 1900s. It was converted to a soccer field in the 1930s by placing a deep compacted soil layer over the landfill with a grass layer planted over the capped landfill site. This makes it one of the City’s oldest recreation spaces.

The park was originally named Macarthur Park after John Macarthur, a British Army Officer and pioneer of the Australian wool industry. The name changed to F.S. Garside in honour of long serving Granville District Soccer Football Association president Frank Sydney Garside in 1964.