Place names convey their significance through a sense of history, identity and connection.

Our Naming of Public Open Spaces and Facilities Policy ensures the selection of names is consistent, consultative and transparent.

The policy is closely aligned with the NSW Government's Geographical Names Board (GNB). The GNB has the final say on all place names and provides guidelines for their determination.

community members at naming ceremony

Places

Places are parks, reserves, sporting grounds, walkways and public open spaces.

Proposals for walkway names must not include road types such as ‘Promenade’ or ‘Avenue’ as these are already used for public roads.

The GNB has final approval for all place naming proposals.

Public Facilities

Public facilities are any Council-owned or managed facility, other than a geographical feature. They include buildings, ovals, pavilions, boardwalks, wharves, gardens and playgrounds.

The GNB does not have to approve a naming proposal for a public facility, but we still comply with the tenets of their policy.

Naming proposals for roads and bridges should be directed to Transport for NSW.

We support the following:

  • Public open space named for its location e.g. Cronulla Park
  • Names that acknowledge Sutherland Shire heritage e.g. Forby Sutherland Memorial Park
  • Naming proposals that use Aboriginal names e.g. Biddy Giles Park.

We encourage names that:

  • Commemorate a person, event or place
  • Recognise acts of bravery, community service or exceptional accomplishment
  • Acknowledge someone's significant contribution to a geographic feature or location.

We cannot commemorate anyone until twelve months after they have died.

The following will not be supported:

  • Names of victims of - or markers at the location of - accidents or tragedies
  • Names of persons holding public office.

Ownership of land is not, in itself, sufficient grounds for the owner’s name to be used.

We will not support:

  • Changes to long-established place names, except where necessary to avoid ambiguity or duplication
  • Duplicate names within Sutherland Shire or adjoining local government areas
  • Generic names, such as Anzac Park or Centenary Park.

Contact our Open Space Assets Unit to discuss your proposal and how it aligns with our Naming of Public Open Spaces and Facilities Policy.

We will discuss all naming options with you and, if your proposal meets our criteria, it will be formally submitted to Council. If we approve it, we will then consult with the community. Council will consider the results of the consultation and whether we should adopt the name.

For a place name, we then make a submission to the Geographical Names Board (GNB), which will put your proposal out to public exhibition.  If there are no objections, the name will be approved at one of its quarterly meetings.

Place names - 12 to 18 months.

Public facility names - 9 to 12 months.