The Mark Taylor Oval, Waitara is an essential green space for the people of Waitara's physical and mental wellbeing during the increasingly restrictive rules for lockdown. It impacts over 1000 people within the direct vicinity, most of which live in apartments with little outside access. 

The Hornsbyshire Council has ring fenced the Mark Taylor Oval and has 'locked out' the local community for approx. 6 months to re-turf the area, at a time when residents need it most. They are doing this now, because they have failed to negotiate delays for lockdowns in their agreements with the contractor, despite having signed the contract in the middle of a global pandemic. 

Mark Taylor Oval is enjoyed by people of all ages, at all times of day, so that they can take part in safely social-distanced activities. Closing this park is a 'kick in the teeth' for ordinary people who are struggling, such as homeschooled children, confined young families, teens studying for exams, desk-bound home workers that need to decompress, our oldest and most vulnerable people who need this space to remain active and healthy. 

Furthermore, there are no assurances that the outside contractors undertaking the works will not come from 'hotspot' areas of Sydney and bring the Covid-19 virus to our community, one that has little to no cases at this time. This promotes a potential health risk at a time when movement is restricted statewide. 

In signing this petition we ask the council for the following;

1. Hornsbyshire Council put the people of Waitara first, delay these works until we are allowed to move more freely in the community (lockdown is over). 
2. Remove the fencing that locks out the community from its only safe open space within a reasonable walking distance. The closest alternative is - by your own admission - more than a 30min round trip walk. This is not practical for most time-pressured families, our elderly and most vulnerable. 
3. Don't make your residents suffer for poorly negotiated contracts that fail to mitigate the known potential for lockdowns during a global pandemic.