Maitland council selling only neighbourhood park without telling residents
Council plans to sell 75-year-old parkland that residents have maintained themselves for nearly 30 years.
Residents of Clift Street in Maitland learned about the sale from a for-sale sign, with no prior warning or consultation. The block has served as the neighbourhood's only park for 75 years.
"If this goes, the closest space is a fair walk away and not safe for our kids," one resident said. Clift Street residents fought an almost identical battle in 1997 when council tried to auction the land; residents won then.
One family has maintained the block for at least 30 years with their own ride-on mower. Maitland's mayor says the site is "operational land" and was never "intended to operate as a park", yet families have used it that way for decades.
Residents have created a Facebook page to oppose the sale.
- 75 years
- Years as neighbourhood park
- at least 30 years
- Resident maintenance period
- October 1997
- Previous council sale attempt
- 13-17 Clift Street, Maitland
- Location
Why it mattersLoss of the only accessible green space would remove the neighbourhood's main community gathering place and force families to travel to distant alternatives.
AustraliaMaitland residents face losing their neighbourhood's only local park and safe play space for children if the council sale proceeds.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 13 d ago
