'Panicked' wallabies: Wildlife displaced for sports project, residents say

Residents are accusing a sports project of killing and displacing animals at Fred Caterson Reserve in Sydney's north-west. Three rugby fields and a car park are being built which The Hills Shire Council says will support local population growth. An activist group has taken the council to the Land and Environment Court, alleging a review of environmental factors is inadequate. Link copiedShareShare articleThe development of a reserve in Sydney's north-west to create a sports facility is killing and displacing wildlife, residents allege. Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill is home to a range of both sporting facilities and native animals, including swamp wallabies and powerful owls. The Hills Shire Council began work to turn the "predominantly cleared" former pony club section surrounded by bushland into a premier rugby union facility, potentially for Eastwood Rugby Club. Three fields — including one to be used in the Shute Shield semi-professional rugby union competition — are proposed, along with amenities and a car park. A council spokesperson said in a statement the project would be enjoyed by generations of residents. They said the local government area had the highest housing targets in the state, which was expected to increase residents by 50,000 to 60,000 within the next five years if delivered. The former pony club site at Fred Caterson Reserve prior to development beginning. (ABC News: Declan Bowring) The almost 7-hectare area was fenced off in late February, with trees removed shortly after. Ever since, residents have shared reports of dead, injured and displaced wildlife. Vision posted on a Facebook group frequently used by people opposed to the development shows a wallaby trying to access the fenced-off former pony club site. Fred Caterson Action Group founding member Susan Sandercock said this was one of many examples of displacement caused by the controversial project. "It's a wallaby. All it knows is that's where its feeding ground is. That's where its home is, and it can no longer access that," she said. She said there had been an increase in roadkill, including "a lot of possums", along nearby Gilbert Road. "Every now and again, you'll see a roadkill, maybe two or three times a year, or maybe it's in breeding season ... but this has been almost a weekly or twice-weekly occurrence." Ms Sandercock says this wallaby was spotted inside the fenced off area. (Supplied: Fred Caterson Action Group) Ms Sandercock said residents had seen animals trapped within the enclosed area, which she alleged was larger than the approved 6.8 hectares at tender, referencing a file produced by council's contractor Glascott that appears to show a larger fenced area than council's plan. The ABC contacted the contractor, Glascott, but it declined to comment and directed questions to The Hills Shire Council. The council declined to respond to this specific allegation. In a statement, a council spokesperson said the site was "under the care and control" of the contractor and was fenced off for safety reasons. "The construction and placement of fencing have been informed by the environmental and ecological sensitivities of the site," they said. Resident Marian Tonkin has lived across from the reserve for more than 35 years. She said after the fencing was installed, some animals could no longer access the habitats within the enclosed environment, which caused displaced wildlife to turn up in her front yard and on her property. Two possums including this ringtail have started frequenting Mrs Tonkin's backyard. (Supplied: Marian Tonkin) She said her bush walks had become quieter. "There were local bird clubs. They often used to come and just sit [in the reserve] and take photos and make recordings of their sightings, but it's absolute silence," she said. "I used to regularly hear the powerful owls and barking owls calling during the night very close to the house. "I only heard them during that first week of construction and haven't heard them since." Powerful owl chicks photographed at the reserve in late 2023. (Supplied: Marie Kobler) In the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) — a document outlining factors likely to impact the environment — 317 trees were identified for removal, including 28 dead ones. Five trees, including 10 hollows that could be used by owls and nocturnal species, were earmarked for removal, with each to be replaced with nest boxes of equivalent sizes. Narla Environmental conducted assessments for the council, including two nocturnal owl surveys in May 2023 where spotlighting, hollow watches and call playbacks were undertaken. It also inspected seven hollow-bearing trees on June 1, 2023, and found "many of the hollows had no signs of current occupation or usage". However, the final report acknowledged this is not "indicative of intermittent or future occupation". "The timing of the survey may not have coincided with emergence times of activity of some fauna (e.g. n

'Panicked' wallabies: Wildlife displaced for sports project, residents say

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'Panicked' wallabies: Wildlife displaced for sports project, residents say

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