From $3.3m to $12.4m: How one simple oval has chomped into this Sydney council’s budget

A controversial project to replace an upper north shore grass oval with a synthetic sports field has been hit with cost blowouts and delays in what one critic has warned could become “another North Sydney pool-type mess”.

The cost of upgrading Norman Griffiths Oval in West Pymble to a synthetic field had already doubled from $3.3 million in 2021 to $6.9 million in May. Just four months later, new figures from a Ku-ring-gai council report reveal it will cost an additional $5.4 million to install either a synthetic or natural turf field, taking the total cost of the project to $12.4 million.

There have also been delays – the pitch will take at least another 14 to 15 months to complete.

Councillors will decide whether the oval should be converted into a natural field or synthetic turf at Thursday’s extraordinary council meeting despite 60 per cent of the conversion having already been completed.

Asked about cost blowouts, a Ku-ring-gai council spokesperson said: “The Norman Griffiths Oval upgrade has had complications such as environmental incidents, delays, design problems, budget increases and disputed claims for variations.

“Sufficient funding is available in Council’s internal infrastructure and facilities reserve for this additional expenditure. Council maintains this reserve partly as a prudential measure in case of unexpected capital project costs.”

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has raised alarm bells over a synthetic field’s potential environmental harm to nearby waterways and bushland. The field was built on top of a flood basin and is located above Quarry Creek, which means polluted sediment could migrate into the creek and run into Lane Cove National Park.

The council initially refused to tear up the grass for a synthetic surface over concerns that the oval was flood prone and unsuitable for conversion before forging ahead anyway. The council maintains a 2.4-megalitre stormwater basin under the turf will prevent inundation during major flooding events.

Bron Hanna, a local bush carer and public policy expert, wants the site returned to a natural pitch, and said ratepayers didn’t need “another North Sydney pool-type mess”.

“They’re trying to put a square peg in a round hole – and now we’re paying for the council’s incompetence. They’re pushing a project that should have never happened,” she said.

While Natural Turf Alliance co-founder Dale Crosby is similarly pushing for a natural field, he said it was crucial that the council adhered to the state government’s new guidelines which outline best-practice management of synthetic turf fields.

“We want the council to make sure they do this properly – not just in a checklist approach,” he said.

The bungled rollout has provoked the ire of West Pymble Football Club, which has gone without its home grounds for more than three years.

“More and more sport is being washed out, kids are getting less game time because of the climate,” club president Kieron Fitzpatrick said.

“No one is saying you have to replace every pitch in Ku-ring-gai with a synthetic surface. But this is one that’s been identified, is in an appropriate place, and will get lots of use.”

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