planning · Inner West Council
Inner West Council defers Great Inner West Walk for redesign
Inner West Council has pushed the Great Inner West Walk report to August 2026 and asked for a redesign around one continuous route and a new advisory committee.
Inner West Council has deferred its Great Inner West Walk report and ordered staff to return in August 2026 with a new version centred on one continuous north-south route. The vote came at the council’s ordinary meeting at Ashfield Service Centre on 17 March 2026.
Councillors want the revised proposal to keep the option of spurs, but not to proceed with the current layout. They also want a new committee to advise on route options, infrastructure, communications and any future expansion of the project across the Inner West.
The redesign request puts the walk back into planning. The current public exhibition report will not proceed as lodged, and councillors have asked for a different structure before the project returns to the chamber later this year.
Active transport was not the only item on the agenda. Council also asked that the priority of the Balmain Road and Callan Park Cycleway be reconsidered as part of the forthcoming review of the Inner West Cycling Strategy and Action Plan, including route options and recent consultation with key stakeholders.
In Newtown, councillors voted to engage a heritage consultant to assess the I Have a Dream Mural for a State heritage listing.
The meeting also covered a wider batch of resident-facing motions. Council asked for a harmonised Graffiti Management Policy by June 2026, with prevention, reporting, removal and coordination across the local government area.
In Haberfield, councillors directed officers to carry out targeted ranger enforcement over parking tied to the nearby automotive business, seek stronger State compliance tools, brief residents on the EV charging proposal and parking impacts, and raise the issue with the local MP and relevant Ministers.
Councillors also backed a review of staffing at Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre after families raised concerns about the children’s pool closing at times because of insufficient lifeguard cover. The motion says the pool should be reliably open every weekend during summer, from October to April.
Other motions included support for Albert Parade Reserve in Ashfield, renovation support for the Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre, a report on recognising Sister Alison Bush at Marrickville Library and Pavilion by August 2026, and a briefing on an Aboriginal student program at Whites Creek Valley Park by the end of April 2026.
Reference minutes
Source: Inner West Council Council - 17 Mar 2026 7:30 PM minutes.
Key facts from the minutes
- Councillors deferred the Great Inner West Walk public exhibition report on 17 March 2026.
- Staff were asked to return with an amended report in August 2026.
- The revised concept must propose one continuous route, with possible spurs.
- Councillors want a new committee to advise on route options, infrastructure, communications and expansion.
- Councillors also asked for Balmain Road and Callan Park Cycleway priority to be reconsidered in the cycling strategy review.
- The meeting also resolved to engage a heritage consultant for the I Have a Dream Mural in Newtown.
- A harmonised Graffiti Management Policy is due for public exhibition by June 2026.
Why it matters
- The vote pushes one of the Inner West’s major pedestrian proposals back to the drawing board and could alter how walking links, route options and project governance are shaped across the area.