11 hours ago
2
A stoush has erupted between rowers and a Sydney council over plans to build a $3.8 million swim spot on the Parramatta River, amid fears the pool will compromise safety and encroach on a popular two-kilometre rowing course.
Inner West Council wants to install a fixed jetty, pontoon and shark net in Iron Cove on the Callan Park foreshore at Lilyfield. The waterway adjoins the Bay Run walking loop and flows into Sydney Harbour.
Iron Cove’s 2000-metre rowing course has been used continuously for training and competitions since the 1880s. Credit: Steven Siewert
The council has touted the Callan Park tidal baths, backed by the state government, as a future Sydney icon, while Labor Mayor Darcy Byrne says the “spectacular addition” is the next step in rehabilitating the river.
But enthusiasts argue the project should not proceed due to concerns about water quality, heritage assets, public safety and the bay’s long-term viability as a venue for more than 1000 rowers.
Loading
Rowing NSW chief executive Melissa Ashton-Garard said the revised plan would disrupt the bay’s 2000m rowing course, which has been in continuous use since the 1880s.
“The course is a unique and irreplaceable public sporting asset that serves more than 13 clubs and schools, hosting 14 regattas annually, with thousands of training movements each week,” she said.
The clash underscores rising frustration among rowers, sailors and kayakers who are concerned they are being squeezed from the harbour, including at Hunters Hill and Blackwattle Bay in Glebe.
Leichhardt Rowing Club property master Alex McHugh said the stretch of water was home to the last Olympic- and world championship-length course in the harbour estuary.
“The only other 2000-metre rowing courses in Sydney are at Penrith, because of the encroachment of swing and fixed marinas, ferry operations and the construction of bridges,” he said.
Leichhardt, UTS Haberfield, Drummoyne and Balmain rowing clubs use Iron Cove to train and compete, as do students from private and public schools including PLC Sydney, MLC School and North Sydney Girls.
McHugh said it was a “great misconception” rowing was purely for “the elite”. “The club system is the only way [into rowing] for public schools. We need Iron Cove,” he said.
Ashton-Garard argued the structure would impinge on learn-to-row zones used by beginners, and marshalling areas used for rowing regattas, as well as creating a navigational hazard for backward-facing rowers in low light.
She noted council staff had shrunk and reoriented the pool in response to feedback. But she urged them to find an alternative location, citing “significant unresolved safety, operational, heritage and compliance concerns”.
The council, which is both proponent and consent authority for the plan, has recommended approval. In August, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Minns government, which contributed $2 million.
The Inner West Local Planning Panel will consider the proposal on Tuesday. If approved, the baths are due to be completed in January 2027.
Council documents acknowledged rowers’ concerns for the “functional and safe” use of the rowing course. The council cut the pool’s footprint by 32 per cent to ensure “adequate clearance” from the 2000m course.
“The tidal baths are outside the rowing corridor and do not impede [it]. The needs of the rowing users of Iron Cove will continue to be met within the locality, in addition to the proposed swim site,” the council said.
Rowers from Leichhardt Rowing Club, founded in 1886, train on the Iron Cove course.Credit: Steven Siewert
UTS Haberfield Rowing Club member Kirsty Edwards said the proposal had angered locals and the rowing community, including Olympians. An online petition had gained more than 1500 signatures.
“The rowing community supports the shared use of the bay, but not at the expense of rower safety and the 140-year heritage of rowing on Iron Cove,” Edwards said.
McHugh said the project was “a folly” as there were public pools at Leichhardt, Drummoyne and Balmain. “There’s no community group pushing for this. It has been generated by the council.”
Loading
Friends of Callan Park spokesman Hall Greenland said the group supported harbour swimming, but its chief concern was water quality due to “pretty toxic sludge” at the bottom of the bay.
“It’s the only area of the park on the water’s edge where people can sit on the grass or have picnics. It will become a thoroughfare for the pool and less available for public open space,” he said.
A human health risk assessment of surface water samples stated there were “no issues of concern in relation to pollutants”, the samples being within recreational guidelines.
Balmain Greens MP Kobi Shetty said the council should “work with our rowers and sailing clubs to make sure this beautiful part of our harbour can be shared”.
A heritage statement said the pool would enhance the historic attributes of Callan Park, which was identified as a potential swim site in 2018.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Most Viewed in National
Loading
