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Charles Bean Oval Surface Renewal

Project Overview

CONSULTATION NOW CLOSED

Ku-ring-gai Council is seeking community feedback on the renewal of the synthetic turf playing surface of Charles Bean Oval, Lindfield. The oval’s current synthetic turf surface is nearing the end of its useful life and requires renewal in the near future. Council is now seeking community feedback on how the synthetic turf playing surface should be renewed.

To help guide decision-making, Council has engaged two industry experts who have provided their opinion on synthetic turf and natural turf playing surfaces. The community is asked to review reports by these two industry experts and provide feedback to help Council make an informed decision about the proposed renewal of the synthetic turf playing surface at Charles Bean Oval, Lindfield.

In addition to the expert’s reports, Council has provided background information outlining the current usage of the site, the amount of booked hours and indicative cost estimates for renewal options.

Your feedback will help us consider important factors including usage patterns, costs, environmental impacts, and community access. When the consultation is complete, all feedback will be considered and reported to Council for a decision on the renewal of the surface.

Submissions closed on Tuesday 16 December at 5pm.

Project background

About Charles Bean Oval

Charles Bean Oval was transferred to Council in 2013 from Defence Housing Australia. Built to FIFA standards, it became Ku-ring-gai's first synthetic turf sportsfield.

The field is now an important community facility used extensively throughout the year by community sporting groups for seasonal competitions and training, casual hirers for training and sports activities, Lindfield Learning Village as a playground and sports activities on weekdays and by the general public for passive recreation.

A breakdown of the booked hours can be found below

Annual hired hours (2024):

  • Northern Suburbs Football Association: approximately 2,360 hours
  • Lindfield Learning Village: approximately 1,338 hours
  • Casual hirers: approximately 55 hours
  • Total: approximately 3,753 hired hours per year

As a comparison, the annual hired hours for the same period at nearby high use natural turf fields is:

  • Wellington Oval: approximately 1,201 hired hours;
  • Primula Oval: approximately 1,170 hired hours

Adjacent to Charles Bean Oval is Blair Wark Community Centre which is used by community and other groups. It is available for hire as one of Council’s halls and meeting rooms.

The high use of the site is not matched by appropriate parking. This has become an issue that impacts the local community with parking and traffic issues affecting surrounding streets.

Why renewal is needed

Synthetic turf playing surfaces typically last approximately 10 years. A 2022 report commissioned by Council from Labosport found that the field no longer meets FIFA standards and recommended surface renewal in the near future.

Parking challenges

The location currently has very limited parking. This affects surrounding local streets and has become a concern for the community especially when the site is used to capacity. Illegal street parking, pedestrian safety and local traffic concerns have been the subject of regular complaints from local residents over recent years.

The Lindfield Learning Village car park could be made available at certain times (out of school hours and on weekends).

Currently the school car park is closed to the public at all times and this is maintained by a controlled boom gate.

There is potential for Council to enter into a commercial arrangement with the NSW Department of Education to access the car park during these periods. However this would be at considerable cost to Council.

Two proposed options – Natural Turf or Synthetic Turf?

Both options offer advantages and disadvantages in relation to environmental requirements and impacts; capacity; wet weather access; construction and maintenance costs; renewal costs and opportunities for innovation.

To assist the community in forming their own opinion in relation to a preferred surface, we recommend you review the most up to date government guidelines in addition to the industry expert reports. Links to all relevant documents are attached below.

Pros and cons for each option - Please note this list is general in nature and not based on expert advice.

Synthetic Turf

Pros Cons
  • All-weather usability and extended playing hours.
  • Marginally lower regular yearly maintenance cost (no mowing, watering).
  • Higher usage yield (multiple sports codes, training, and games).
  • Potentially an earlier delivery date for synthetic turf as no establishment time is required for the turf to grow.
  • Longer term upgrade costs are higher (with surface replacement).
  • Environmental and health concerns (e.g. urban heat, microplastics, chemicals)
  • Potential reduced usability in hot weather.
  • Limited general recreational use (e.g. for dog walking)
  • Surface should be replaced every 10-12 years.

Natural Turf 

Pros Cons
  • Natural cooling effect and reduced environmental concerns.
  • Softer playing surface.
  • Grass plays a role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, helping to combat climate change.
  • Increased general recreational use (e. g. for dog walking)
  • Reduced renewal costs (maintenance dependant).
  • Marginally higher yearly maintenance cost including watering, mowing.
  • Requirement for pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
  • Greater wear during peak periods and potential recovery time required for long-term health of field.
  • More even spread of wear would occur if corresponding improvements were also made to other fields used in the area.
  • Would require high water usage for irrigation.
  • Limited field use (weather and maintenance dependent).

 

What about hybrid systems?

We have considered a hybrid synthetic/natural system, but this is not recommended for Charles Bean Oval. The technology has not yet been sufficiently tested on high-use fields with open public access.

Background research

The NSW Government has undertaken significant research on synthetic surfaces. Following recommendations from the Chief Scientist, they developed comprehensive guidance including:

Community concerns about synthetic surfaces include release of microplastics, localised heat island effects, and potential human health impacts from microplastics and crumbed rubber infill. Council takes these concerns seriously and is committed to implementing best-practice solutions.

Independent expert assessments

Council has engaged two independent industry experts to evaluate Charles Bean Oval and provide specialist insights to inform decision-making. Read a summary and get access to the full reports via the tabs below.

Please note: These reports represent the professional opinions of independent consultants and do not reflect Council's position.

Our aim is to provide the community with access to specialist industry knowledge to support informed community input.

Independent expert opinion

Smart Connection Consultancy - Summary statement

Charles Bean Oval is one of Ku-ring-gai’s busiest sport spaces. Keeping it as a contemporary and environmentally friendly synthetic field means more kids and adults can actually play, more often. A grass field here could manage roughly 20–30 hours of use per week (about 25 players per hour) even with extra maintenance. A new-generation synthetic surface can reliably host 60–80 hours weekly and handle over 60 players per hour, about triple the access so training and matches aren’t constantly cancelled or pushed to other already full parks.

Reliability is the everyday win: synthetic turf stays open after rain and delivers a safe, consistent surface for school PE during the day, club training in the evenings, weekend games, and casual “kick-to-kick.” The Oval already serves the school (around 40 hours each school week), local football (30+ hours), and general community use; reverting to grass would remove more than 30 hours of needed access and push activity elsewhere.

On costs, natural grass is cheaper to build up front (about $0.9m) but, once you factor in how many hours you can actually use it, synthetic offers better value for the community, modelled at roughly $48.89 per hour versus $65.30 for natural grass due to the amount of play it can accommodate, while giving Council booking certainty for schools and clubs.

Environmental concerns are addressed in the upgrade design. The report recommends organic (non-rubber) infill, closed below-ground drainage with filtration to keep debris out of waterways, recyclable components (e.g., shockpad), and more shade trees around the oval to cool the surrounds and reduce any heat-island effect. Organic infill systems also target lower on-field heat than rubber-filled surfaces. End-of-life recycling of the current system is specified.

Finally, the refreshed field will be more useful for everyone: clearer half- and quarter-field markings for juniors and PE drill areas, plus a simple walking/jogging loop and better accessibility. In short, renewing the synthetic surface keeps Charles Bean Oval open, safe, and welcoming far more often, meeting local demand while lifting environmental standards.

We want to know what you think. Please share your views by:

  • Completing the survey
  • Submit your comments via the submissions function on this page
  • Send in a written submission quoting reference number S15140 by:
    • Emailing krg@krg.nsw.gov.au; or
    • Mailing a letter to Ku-ring-gai Council, Locked Bag 1006, Gordon NSW 2072.

Submissions close at 5pm on Tuesday 16 December 2025.

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Community Forum

Industry experts Dr Mick Battam and Martin Sheppard presented their reports regarding Charles Bean and answered questions at the community forum on Wednesday 3 December at Council Chambers.

Audio recording of presentation

Please listen to an audio recording of the presention here 

Presentation materials

These can be seen here

Note that due to a techical issue a video of the session is unavailable.

Important information

FAQ

Synthetic turf playing surfaces typically last approximately 10 years. A 2022 report commissioned by Council from Labosport found that the field no longer meets FIFA standards and recommended surface replacement in the near future.

Council is now seeking community feedback on the proposed renewal of the synthetic turf playing surface. Your input will help inform the final decision on the surface type.

The oval is hired by:

  • Northern Suburbs Football Association (approximately 2,360 hours),
  • Lindfield Learning Village (approximately 1,338 hours), and
  • Casual hirers (approximately 55 hours)

This totals to approximately 3,753 hours of hired time annually.

  • Option 1: Synthetic turf surface to the latest technology available.
  • Option 2: Natural turf using best practice construction methods

A hybrid surface is not considered a viable option as the technology isn't proven for high-use public fields..

We recommend you review the most up to date government guidelines in addition to the industry expert reports to help guide you in forming an opinion. All relevant information is available in this page.

High level costs from the industry experts and Council are shown below for your reference (Click on table for a larger image).

Complete the online survey on this webpage or send a written submission. Results will inform the concept plan for the replacement.

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Enquiries

  • Will Adames
    Community Engagement Coordinator
    Ku-ring-gai Council

    P: 9424 0000

    E: yoursay@krg.nsw.gov.au

 

Need an interpreter? Please phone the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to call us on 9424 0000.


If you are d/Deaf or find it hard to hear or speak to hearing people on the phone, you can contact the National Relay Service and provide them with the Ku-ring-gai contact number: 02 9424 0000.