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Places to Roam

Places to Roam program

The Places to Roam (PTR) program delivers a series of open space, greenway and community garden projects across Greater Sydney to increase the liveability of neighbourhoods and communities and support new and existing housing.

The PTR grant program is being funded under the $50 million Open Spaces Program for new and improved open spaces to swim, play, roam and ride and connect with nature. PTR is being delivered under two separate grant programs.

Regional Trails program provides funding to support councils to upgrade or create new walking and cycling links for active transport and recreation to improve health and fitness, community wellbeing, sense of place and connections with nature.

Community Gardens program provides funding to support councils in establishing and embedding community garden schemes and bushcare in their local community.

Image: Parramatta Wharf – Stewart Street Reserve, City of Parramatta Council

Stewart Street Reserve concept

2022-23 successful grant projects

For the 2022-23 grant program, 23 projects across 14 councils have been successful. 15 of these projects are part of the Regional Trails program and 8 are part of the Community Gardens program totalling an investment of $11.2 million.

The funding will support 31,404 homes to have access to open space within a 10 minute (800 metres) walk.

You can view a static map of the full list of successful projects below:

Who is eligible to apply?

All Councils in the Greater Sydney Region are eligible to apply, including:

  • Bayside Council
  • Blacktown City Council
  • Blue Mountains City Council
  • Burwood Council
  • Camden Council
  • Campbelltown City Council
  • City of Canada Bay
  • Canterbury-Bankstown Council
  • Cumberland Council
  • Fairfield City Council
  • Georges River Council
  • Hawkesbury City Council
  • Hills Shire Council
  • The Hornsby Shire Council
  • The Council of the Municipality of Hunters Hill
  • Inner West Council
  • Ku-ring-gai Council
  • Lane Cove Municipal Council
  • Liverpool City Council
  • Mosman Municipal Council
  • North Sydney Council
  • Northern Beaches Council
  • City of Parramatta Council
  • Penrith City Council
  • Randwick City Council
  • City of Ryde Council
  • Strathfield Municipal Council
  • Sutherland Shire Council
  • City of Sydney
  • Waverley Shire Council
  • City of Willoughby
  • Wollondilly Shire Council
  • Woollahra Municipal Council.

Read the Places to Roam Grant Program Guidelines 2022/23 (PDF, 3.2 MB).

What can funding be used for?

The funding will support councils in the delivery of walking and cycling trails that connect communities and provide recreation and potential tourism opportunities. This will include:

  • upgrading existing regional trail links to facilitate walking and cycling within existing green infrastructure such as the Greater Sydney Green Grid
  • creation of new, or the linking of existing, trails by creating connections and pathways for walking, cycling and other forms of active travel
  • community gardens for people of all ages to connect and collaborate on growing food, bushland restoration or local amenity.
Contact the team

If you have any other questions about the Open Spaces Program, you can email the team at [email protected]

2021-22 successful grant projects

For the 2021-22 grant program, 11 projects across 8 councils have been successful. 9 of these projects are part of the Regional Trails program and 2 are part of the Community Gardens program totalling an investment of $5.6 million.

You can view a static map (PDF, 1.73 MB) of the full list of successful projects.

The following map shows the list of all successful projects. You can open this map in a new window.