Sporty end for Hornsby Quarry

According to developer Dave Willmott, the site is ideal for a sports facilities hub for the area. There would be room for a rugby field, 13 tennis courts and a dozen netball and basketball courts above the abandoned Hornsby Quarry.

All developer Willmott needs to do is convince Hornsby Council to give the go-ahead on his proposal. He hopes to win the contract to fill the quarry with excavated material rather than rubbish and so build state of the art sports facilities on the site.

His company, Geofill Services, beat bidders to win the tender to fill the quarry four years ago. But he said that was a different council and a different group of councillors.

He will present his proposal to the council again next week, less than a month after legal matters surrounding the quarry’s value were concluded. “We could, theoretically, get started in two months if council gave us the go-ahead,” Wilmott said.

He said the project could cost anywhere between $2 million and $10 million and that sports fields were needed in the area.

“We did a survey prior to making a submission four years ago and the feedback we received from sports associations and the general public was that there’s a real need for more open space and there’s a demand for facilities.”

Hornsby Council won a protracted legal battle over its purchase of Hornsby Quarry a decade ago. The council paid $25 million for the abandoned site in 2002 but subsequent land use studies showed that the cost of development would far exceed a reasonable profit. The council initiated legal action against the New South Wales Valuer General and former quarry owner CSR over the sale.

Sources: The Daily Telegraph