The HPG Committee and the natural environment on Middle Head need your help. On Tuesday 5 December 2017 at 7pm, Mosman Council will be voting on a motion to cease any further work on the Development Application (DA) for synthetic grass on Middle Head Oval.
We strongly urge you to both attend the meeting and to encourage the Council to pass the motion to cease any further work on the DA.
The HPG is committed to the preservation of Middle Head, not just for the people of Mosman, but for all Australians. We are a community group and we are strong supporters of our local sporting clubs.
We are also in favour of more sport playing areas in Mosman. What we are not in favour of is an all-weather plastic pitch on Middle Head Oval. Middle Head remains an oasis where anyone can come and enjoy the balance of our natural surroundings and our rich history, both of which need our careful protection.
Why do we care?We care about Middle Head Oval because it is a large area in the footprint of Middle Head. HPG is concerned that the known micro-plastic runoff from a plastic grass surface will flow directly into the National Park and ultimately into our precious Sydney Harbour and the marine food chain.
Surely we can all agree that Sydney Harbour and its delicate ecosystem needs to be protected from synthetic micro-plastic runoff? We are also concerned:
that the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust (Trust) has not examined the legality of a synthetic playing field on Middle Head Oval
whether it is within the remit of the Trust to allow Trust lands to be used in this way, and
that there may be serious health ramifications for our children and our grandchildren who will all play on this synthetic grass surface.
There are compelling arguments on both sides, but the only thing that is absolutely clear is that any synthetic grass surface will not be made of natural material. We cannot allow our natural environment to continue to be poisoned with plastic. The flood of plastic into all levels of our community is unstoppable, but we can do something about stopping plastic grass on Middle Head Oval.
What do you need to know?
Local sporting groups will be coming out in force but have not researched the issue – they are only concerned with the outcome and their desire for an all-weather pitch.
Local sporting groups want fewer games to be washed-out because of bad weather making the current pitch unplayable.
We want Mosman Council to consider better management approaches to maintain the natural grass on Middle Head Oval.
We want more research to be conducted on synthetic playing surfaces and technology before anymore is used in our local environment.
We all agree that we need more sport playing areas in Mosman, but laying down plastic and poisoning our National Parks and waterways with micro-plastics is not the answer.
We do not know whether synthetic playing surfaces are safe for our children and future generations.
Middle Head Oval is part of Australia’s past, present and future and must be protected at all costs.