Barton Park opened to the public in May 2024.
Bayside has upgraded Barton Park in Banksia into a state-of-the art sporting and recreational facility. Barton Park officially opened to the public in May 2024 after a $51.7 million upgrade transforming the old sporting field into a welcoming space with accessible facilities, good lighting, walking and cycling connections.
Located in Banksia, Barton Park is now Bayside Council’s largest community sporting and recreational hub.
The upgrade includes new natural turf sporting fields, a new state-of-the-art facility with a 450-seat spectator grandstand, two multi-use courts suitable for basketball, futsal and handball, four tennis courts, new amenities, improved road access and parking.
Council also worked closely with ecologists and environmentalists to ensure the ongoing safety and protection of the endangered Green and Golden Bell frogs which live in the area.
Project Background
The Barton Park upgrade projects was developed to provide an open space along the Rockdale Wetlands Corridor. Walking and cycle connections offer growing populations in Arncliffe, Banksia and Wolli Creek access to a variety of recreational activities, including organised sport, family outings, bird watching, and environmental education opportunities.
A final masterplan based on feedback we received from the community in 2020 was endorsed by Bayside Council and finalised after final consultation with the community in September 2021.
Barton Park Masterplan
The Barton Park Masterplan set the vision for long-term developments by addressing the following issues:
- Demolition of old facilities
- Upgrade of sporting and recreation facilities
- Barton Park's location to large population growth centres.
The Masterplan outlined the following objectives and design principles:
- Provide playing fields and other sporting facilities for active recreation
- Improve amenity and lighting
- Upgrade site conditions as identified in the Environmental Management Plan
- Improve interface with Landing Lights Wetlands and other adjacent open spaces
- Improve landscape and biodiversity outcomes through increased plantings
- Identify integrated movement network with connections to adjacent areas
- Increase safety using Safety by Design (CPTED) principles.
Review of Environmental Factors (REF)
A Review of Environmental Factors (REF) was prepared to assess the project’s potential environmental impacts which found the proposed works can be adequately managed as outlined in the review.
Review of environmental factors
Funding
The Barton Park Recreational Precinct upgrade project was proudly funded by the NSW Government in association with Bayside Council.
