THE NEW South Wales inner-city nature strip of heritage-listed buildings, native bush and waterfront land known as Callan Park has become a boxing ring for politicians, developers and residents fighting about its future.

But as a verbal battle ensued, an alternative scheme for part of the controversial site has quietly been gathering momentum.

A team of architects, horticulturalists and Rozelle residents have put forward a scheme for the site they are labelling Sydney City Farm. The plan would see sheep mowing the grass, vegetables grown to feed the local homeless, and educational programs where students can learn about composting.

The NSW State Government last week handed the 60-hectare site to Leichhardt Council, thereby quashing University of Sydney plans to use it. The local community had long fought for this result, and some have argued the recent local elections where in effect a referendum on the Labor State Government over Callen Park.

“The draft land use plan, which would have seen Sydney University expand its [existing] floor space at Callan Park from 25,000 to 85,000 square metres, will not be proceeding,” minister for planning, Kristina Keneally said.

The move sees the local community handed an extensive site for which they can consider some creative architectural options, said one supporter of Sydney City Farm, architect Rod Simpson.

Simpson labelled the University of Sydney’s plan for the site a “land grab”. He said it was an “appalling” proposal that required them to take up more of the site than they needed to.

The new plans would see Callan Park take some elements from its days a mental asylum in the 1870s, when there was a new zeit geist around people gardening and farming instead of sitting in cells, Simpson said.

“The opportunity at Callan park is not to see it as simply sports fields, bush and grass with some heritage buildings in it, but perhaps to see it as a cultural place that has activities that come from the history of the place,” he said.

“The thing is to have vegetables, some poultry and really an area of about half a hectare under cultivation. And it can be a place that we can hang other activities off. In particular educational activities for local schools.”

The Sydney City Farm would involve people going through rehabilitation, local school children and the local community, using Callan Park as a focus.

“Food production would probably be donated to the homeless … We’re seeing the farm as a catalyst. It’s a social catalyst, it’s a catalyst for education and sustainability. It allows us to look at the world differently,” Simpson said.

Leichhardt Council mayor Jamie Parker has proposed an Extraordinary Meeting of Council on 3 November at 7pm at Leichhardt Town Hall to discuss the future of Callan Park. He plans to pull together a master plan to manage the site.

Kate Gibbs

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