A key piece of public open space in Belrose is set to come under the ownership of Northern Beaches Council, providing a potential pathway for future improvements to one of the area’s established community sporting assets.

Located on Forest Way, the 1.72-hectare County Road Reserve is the home ground of Wakehurst Football Club, which has around 2,000 players. The site also forms part of the Northern Beaches’ broader network of local open spaces.

The transfer is expected to give Council greater scope to consider how the reserve can respond to increasing demand for community recreation. Local sporting groups have previously identified the site as having potential to contribute to additional and improved sporting infrastructure.

Participation in community sport continues to grow across the Northern Beaches, particularly among women and girls. Council ownership could provide opportunities to expand or improve recreational uses at the reserve as the needs of local clubs, families and volunteers evolve.

The proposed transfer forms part of the wider investment by the NSW Government in public open space. Through its Better Open Spaces Program, the Government is committing $40 million towards improvements to parks, sporting fields, swimming facilities and town squares.

A further $520-million allocation is being made for open space and active transport infrastructure within Transport Oriented Development precincts.

"County Road Reserve is exactly the kind of community asset we want to see thrive under local ownership, well used, well-loved and ready to grow with the Northern Beaches,” says Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully.

"Putting this reserve in Council's hands means Wakehurst Football Club and the thousands of local families, players and volunteers who use it can look forward to the investment and upgrades this site deserves.

"This transfer sits alongside our broader push to deliver more open space across Sydney, because growing communities need places to play, gather and stay active, and we are backing that need with real investment."

The Government has also established a Blue-Green Grid Committee to support the expansion of Sydney’s parklands network. As part of this broader approach, surplus land spanning 28 hectares along the Duck River Corridor is being transferred to Cumberland City Council for permanent protection as public open space.

Further reforms to the management and funding of Sydney’s parklands are also proposed. Subject to the passage of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026, changes to the Greater Sydney Parklands Act will establish a long-term sustainable funding framework expected to support more than 300 hectares of additional parkland.

Member for Wakehurst, Michael Regan views the County Road Reserve transfer as an important outcome for the Northern Beaches community.

“The land transfer removes the first hurdle in delivering better sports facilities at County Road,” he notes.

“State Government ownership of the land was a key barrier to getting the sports facility upgrades on County Road that the community are crying out for. Today that barrier has been removed, clearing the way for planning and investment.”

For the Northern Beaches, the County Road Reserve transfer not only unlocks government-owned land for community use but also ensures that valuable public assets continue to benefit local communities for the long term.

Image source: https://arcadiala.com.au/projects/public-open-space/parks-for-people-county-road-reserve-belrose

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