Woollahra Council plans to place a skate board park in Rushcutters Bay Park.
This park is predominantly used as follows:
* Recreational walking by the elderly and infirm
* Parents with children and babies in prams
* Time restricted dog walking
* Picnics and family gatherings
* Supervised team games for schools
* Supervised football and cricket games for gay and community teams at weekends.

To: Woollahra Municipal Council and the Heritage Council of NSW

We, the undersigned residents, park users, and concerned community members, formally request that Woollahra Municipal Council halt all construction work and reverse its decision to build the concrete Youth Recreation Area (skate and scooter park) in Rushcutters Bay Park.

We strongly oppose this development for the following reasons:

Loss of Green Space: Rushcutters Bay Park is a heavily utilised city park. Concreting over the already limited grassed areas and endangering the root zones of historic fig trees is an irreversible loss to our natural environment. We feel that the impact on the park green space has not been properly assessed.

Heritage Impact: Rushcutters Bay is registered on the State Heritage Register. A large, permanent concrete structure is fundamentally incompatible with the heritage landscape, character, and visual amenity of this public open space. We feel that the heritage considerations have not been properly assessed.

Noise & Congestion: Hard surfaces and skate/scooter ramps will inevitably generate additional noise pollution. The recent removal of tree branches along New South Head Road has already resulted in an increased level of noise to park users and has created an eyesore for users who now have clear view of the busy New South Head Road. We feel that the noise and congestion consequences have not been properly assessed. 

We urge Woollahra Council to listen to the community, respect the park’s state heritage listing, and cancel the Rushcutters Bay skate park project immediately.