North Sydney Council is considering introducing new fees for the use of public parks and reserves, in a move that could see organised gatherings, commercial operators and even some family events required to pay for access.
The proposal comes as the council faces ongoing financial pressure following the redevelopment of the Olympic Pool at Milsons Point, which escalated from an estimated $56 million to $122 million.
Under a policy adopted in March, and set to be voted on next month, charges could apply across more than 20 parks and reserves in the area, according to the ABC.
This includes popular foreshore locations such as Blues Point Reserve, Bradfield Park, Balls Head Reserve and Forsyth Park.
If approved, commercial dog walkers would face an annual permit fee of $300.
Weddings, gender reveals and other organised events could be charged more than $2,000 for a three-hour booking in public spaces.
Larger casual gatherings would also be affected, with groups of more than 21 people potentially charged between $30 and $50, while events of up to 100 people could attract fees ranging from $150 to $500.
The changes would apply from July 1, with higher-demand locations likely to attract higher fees.
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said the council had received broadly positive feedback, although some small business operators were caught off guard by the proposal.
One business owner, luxury picnic operator Vicki Ryvchin, said she only learned of the changes through a business group chat and feared the costs could have a major impact on her industry.
“We’re happy to pay a higher annual fee and prove our public liability year-on-year… but it’s the per-event charges that are completely unreasonable,” she said.
Under the draft pricing, she said even a small two-person picnic could attract fees of up to $70 for a three-hour booking, in addition to the annual permit cost.
“People want to be outside, all we’re doing is just facilitating a picnic … [and] encouraging people to use our beautiful spaces that everybody pays taxes for.”
The council has also floated other revenue ideas, including charging for access to New Year’s Eve fireworks viewing areas and seeking rate contributions from wealthy private schools.
Mayor Baker said the financial situation facing the council was widely understood.
“I can understand some individual commercial operators can be upset that they’re no longer getting the use of that public open space for free,” she said.
She said the proposed park fees would raise about $200,000 a year, though this would still fall far short of the council’s roughly $10 million annual parks maintenance bill.
“This isn’t really just a revenue-raising process; this is also very heavily aimed at being able to manage the demand in the parks and making certain that everyone gets access to the foreshore, that it isn’t always being privatised effectively.”
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