Under the Stronger Communities fund,the former government awarded a $40 million grant in 2018 for Hornsby Shire Council’s Westleigh Park project,which is a 32-hectare parcel of land earmarked for cycling and mountain biking,walking paths,informal exercise spaces and children’s playground and picnic areas.
Since 2018,the government says there have been significant delays in the delivery of the project and limited progress has been made and that most of the grant money was yet to be spent.
The NSW government said it had no choice but to refuse a request from the council for an extension of time to use the money and Hornsby will be required to pay back all unspent funds from the original $40 million grant,estimated to be more than $36 million.
A separate request from Hornsby Council for an extension to spend a $50 million grant to turn a quarry into parkland has been approved because construction is well under way.
The Office of Local Government has received 16 applications for variations from 10 councils and of these,12 have been approved. The councils asking for extensions of time demonstrated that their projects were on track.
Three requests were refused,including Hornsby’s request for the Westleigh Park project.