A new $705 million Sydney Football Stadium will "merge" into Moore Park, the chairman of the Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust says, creating a safer match-day experience.
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But lingering mistrust over plans to expand the footprint into Moore Park means that local politicians remain wary of the trust's schemes for the area.
"The design we've got now is superb, where Kippax Lake and Moore Park East will be retained," said Tony Shepherd, the SCG Trust chairman who on Friday welcomed the Premier's commitment to replace Allianz Stadium from next year.
"Our plan is in fact to merge the stadium into that so that we have green space, huge spill areas, Kippax Lake and the park maintained," Mr Shepherd said.
Last year, the trust was pushing a plan to build a new football stadium on Kippax Lake, on land managed by the neighbouring Centennial and Moore Park Trust. This would have allowed a new stadium to be built while Allianz Stadium remained standing.
That proposal did not win the support of the NSW government, and enraged locals, as well as Lord Mayor Clover Moore and member for Sydney Alex Greenwich.
On Friday, Mr Shepherd said the SCG Trust would "encourage the Centennial Park Trust" to put extra public facilities around the Moore Park stadium: "toilets and playgrounds and stuff like that".
The stadium area is bordered by Driver Avenue, under the management of the Centennial Park Trust. Mr Shepherd, however, said safety on Driver Avenue, close to two major stadiums, was a concern.
"The problem with Allianz now is that the spill areas are just too small.
"You've got to disperse the crowd, you can't have it corralled."
Cr Moore and Mr Greenwich criticised the government's $2.5 billion splurge on stadiums and also questioned the trust's plans for Moore Park.
"The government should invest in much-needed recreation space for apartment dwellers, not spectator sports with empty stadium seats," Mr Greenwich said.
Michael Waterhouse, of community group Saving Moore Park, said he accepted that the SCG Trust no longer proposed to build on neighbouring land.
But Mr Waterhouse said it was disappointing the government had not also allocated funding to public parklands as well as to the stadiums.
"Moore Park is of vital importance to the community, and particularly those people living in the rapidly growing area west of the park," Mr Waterhouse said. "Over the next decade this will become the most densely populated area in Australia."
