Places to Roam

Places To Roam - Regional Trails program 2021-23

The Places To Roam program provides funding to local councils for the upgrade and creation of regional trails, better active transport corridors, community gardens, and connective bushland, parks and waterways in Greater Sydney.

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Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: Funding dependent on project.
  • Application opened: 9 July 2022
  • Application closed: 30 September 2022, 5:00 pm

Program objective

The Places to Roam program provides grant funding for the upgrade and creation of regional trails, better active transport corridors, community gardens, and connective bushland, parks and waterways in Greater Sydney. A connected network of green spaces is a key part of building great places for people to live. It also contributes to more productive, sustainable and liveable local communities.

The program includes support to councils to establish or enhance community gardening and bushcare schemes.

The Places to Roam program will be delivered under 2 separate programs:

  1. Regional Trails program provides funding to local councils to upgrade or create new walking and cycling links for transport, as well as leisure and recreational trips, while also improving local community wellbeing, sense of place and connection with nature.
     
  2. Community Gardens program aims to support councils in establishing and embedding community garden schemes and bushcare in their local community, It also provides opportunities for community engagement, particularly for older and vulnerable people.

You can read details on Community Gardens program rounds 1 and 2.

Objectives of the Regional Trails program

  • Provide new and upgraded regional trails that improve the quality of trail experiences and increase awareness and visitation to greater Sydney trails.
  • Support community health and wellbeing, particularly in the 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) identified as areas of concern during the COVID-19
    lockdown.
  • Contribute to the post-pandemic economic recovery of NSW through the creation of jobs, stimulating businesses and the recreation and visitor economy.
  • Contribute to the delivery of the Premier’s Priority for Greener Public Spaces by increasing the proportion of homes in urban areas within 10
    minutes’ walk of quality open, green and public space by 10% by 2023.

Funding

The Regional Trails program includes a $13 million investment over 2 years.

In the FY22/23 funding round, a total of $7.8 million is available for the Regional Trails Program.

This funding will be available to eligible councils through a competitive grant process.

This program is funded and administered by Department of Planning and Environment.

Eligibility

Who can apply

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

Bayside Council, Blacktown City Council, BlueMountains 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.

Priority councils

The councils of the 12 LGAs identified as areas of concern during the COVID-19 lockdown are strongly encouraged to apply.

The 12 LGAs are 

  • Bayside; Blacktown
  • Burwood
  • Campbelltown
  • Canterbury-Bankstown
  • Cumberland; Fairfield
  • Georges River
  • Liverpool; Penrith
  • Parramatta
  • Strathfield

Note that part funding is strongly encouraged. 

Project nominations that propose a funding component from the recipient council (including works in-kind contributions) will be prioritised.

Types of projects funded under this grant

Funding will be available for the planning, design, and construction costs for:

  • trails and strategic open space linkages including recreational improvements of riparian corridors and easements that contribute to the delivery of important corridors identified in the Greater Sydney Green Grid or endorsed local strategic planning statements
  • green links that connect to parklands and open spaces
  • interpretative signage and public art works associated with trails and greenspaces
  • recreational trails feasibility studies and masterplans. Design services will only be funded as part of the delivery of a project. Master planning or design services will not be funded in isolation.
  • new or upgraded shared paths that improve walking and cycling and connectivity between open spaces
  • in-house project management or design services (subject to prior approval).

Project nominations should align to government
strategies such as:

  • long-term open space network outcomes, such as the Greater Sydney Green Grid, council open space and recreation strategies that demonstrate a longterm change and benefit for the community
  • council strategies, such as local strategic planning statements or other strategic documents such as open space and recreation strategies, urban design plans, town centres or economic strategies, active travel and transport plans.

We encourage councils to put forward projects that,
ideally:

  • acknowledge and incorporate Aboriginal culture and heritage create a broad range of community benefit, including increasing the diversity of recreational experiences and opportunities for regional trail users
  • build on existing masterplans or spatial frameworks in priority green grid corridors, as identified in the Greater Sydney Region Plan
  • help to reduce the impact of urban heat island effect.

What can’t you apply for

  • Master planning or design services in isolation
  • Projects outside of NSW
  • Funding of ongoing personnel or staff positions
  • Events, marketing, branding, advertising or product promotion
  • Projects requiring ongoing funding for maintenance from the NSW Government
  • Retrospective funding to cover any project component that is already complete/underway
  • Projects that are considered to be part of council’s usual ongoing maintenance and management of a site (including ongoing reserve management, asset maintenance or replacement of existing infrastructure)
  • Public art pieces or signage as a singular project
  • Projects that require the public to pay a fee to access the site.

Example projects

Case Study: The Great West Walk

The Great West Walk is a 65-km walking route stretching from Parramatta to the foot of the Blue Mountains. Officially opened in October 2019, the new walk traverses the region’s varied landscape of protected Cumberland Plain woodland, local river systems, public parklands, Australia’s oldest architecture, and some of Western Sydney’s most iconic urban landscapes.

The Great West Walk was mapped by The Walking Volunteers and delivered by local landholders including Blacktown City Council, City of Parramatta Council, Penrith City Council, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Western Sydney Parklands Trust.

Other organisations who supported the route’s development include the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment; Western Sydney Local Health District; Western Sydney Diabetes; Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils and NSW Office of Sport.

The route forms part of the Greater Sydney Green Grid – a network of interlinked walkways, cycleways and open spaces across Greater Sydney, creating green connections from people’s homes to local centres, to their workplaces and to where they spend their leisure time.

Throughout 2021–22, more than 26,000 trees will be planted to provide shade, beauty and cooler temperatures. This will make the Great West Walk more comfortable, accessible and enjoyable for users, local communities and visitors to Western Sydney.

Most recent recipients

All recipients (24)

What your application needs to include

You can download the full guidelines:

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

Familiarise yourself with the grant requirements set out in the Places To Roam Guidelines 2022-2023 (PDF 3.22MB).

Complete the application form in Smartygrants with reference to the objectives of the program and assessment criteria in the Guidelines.

Attach the required documents to the application form including:

  1. Project location plan
  2. Land owner's consent, if not Council land
  3. Project plan including: project scope, objectives & deliverables; schedule; cost items; project team participants & their role; key stakeholders including any communications/engagement; procurement items & expected procurement methods; approvals, if required; and risks & mitigation measure as required.
  4. Cost estimate to include item description; quantity; unit cost; totals; funding sources
  5. Concept plan to include aerial photograph with site boundary and proposed works identified.
  6. Letter of support signed by the council's General Manager or equivalent authorising the application for grant funding under the Places to Roam Program.
  7. Confirmation of Certificate of Public Liability Insurance
2

Address the eligibility criteria

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.

3

Address the assessment criteria

Assessment criteria

The Panel will assess projects against an assessment criteria of key components including project merit and project deliverability.

Project Merit 50%

  • Program alignment and project clarity (15%) - The project scope is clearly stated and supports the objectives of the program.
  • Inclusion (10%) - The project is designed and delivered to enable all community members to participate. This could be through increased amenity, improved accessibility or improved safety.
  • Innovation (5%) - The project clearly demonstrates best-practice methodologies and outcomes that offer learnings that can be shared across government and industry.
  • Collaboration (10%) - The project drives collaboration and partnerships with community, businesses and institutions, taking a place-based approach. Plans for collaboration between individuals and/or institutions to develop the project are clearly articulated. Approach to engaging the community in the project is clearly articulated.
  • Environmental sustainability (10%) - The project demonstrates how the health and safety of the community and the local environment will be sustained and enhanced during construction and in operation of the facility.

Project deliverability 50%

  • Financial viability(10%) - Project budget clearly outlines the most significant cost line-items required for the development of the project, along with a reasonable timeline for the expenses (direct and in-kind costs are identified). Deliverability(10%) Project methodology is clear and feasible within the parameters of the program.
  • Timeliness of delivery (10%) - Applicant demonstrates commitment to roll out project quickly. Project schedule and project plan are clear and identify key deliverable dates within program timeframes.
  • Risk mitigation (10%) - Risk assessment included with strategies to mitigate project risks.
  • Value for money (10%) - Project uses funding effectively to maximise the scale and impact of the project. Projects that include applicant contributions will be considered favourably.

Start the application

Applications for this grant are available via the Grants portal.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Planning and Public Spaces

An independent assessment panel will review and assess all applications against the Regional Trails program objectives and assessment criteria (see criteria and weighting below).

The independent panel will make recommendations to the department for endorsement. We will notify successful applicants, and release funding once funding agreements have been signed and executed.

The assessment panel will be made up of external landscape and open space design experts. A probity adviser will oversee the assessment.

Support and contact

For queries about the Places to Roam Community Gardens Program Guidelines, deadlines, or questions in the SmartyGrants form please contact DPHI staff between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) at the GreenSpace Mailbox

Program evaluation

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