While the NSW government’ s announcement of funding for Sydney’ s green grid is welcome –it’ s under ongoing threat because increasing numbers of parks and green spaces are being sold or alienated, Total Environment Centre said today.“A growing city needs more and better parks but you can’ t achieve that vision if councils are selling off green space; government agencies are destroying parks for infrastructure; green canopies removed for development; and bushland bulldozed for housing asset protection zones,’’ said Jeff Angel, Executive Director of the Centre.

“There are numerous examples of this occurring right now:

• 16 parks in Bankstown proposed to be sold by the Council;
• The West Connex taking over inner west parkland;
• South east light rail route destroying the magnificent Alison Road canopy of mature fig trees with another 700 trees on the chopping block;
• A proposed aged care facility in Myles Dunphy Park in Hurstville, that will require extensive bushland clearing for asset protection;
• Extension of Manly Vale school into several hectares of a bushland park;
• New crown land laws that will make it easier to sell off open space."

’’Government needs to acknowledge we have a disappearing park and mature tree problem; keep what we’ve got; and not ignore this serious problem with one-sided glossy green grid announcements,” Mr Angel said.