Orange City Council will have the opportunity to take on Crown land parcels across the local government area, which include Cook Park, Robertson Park, Moulder Park and Sir Jack Brabham Park.

There are 246 pieces of Crown land across Orange and those successfully negotiated would be transferred to the council for free. 

Mayor Reg Kidd said the council already spent a large amount of money on its higher-profile Crown land parcels, with no direct funding support from NSW Crown Lands. 

“I would love it if they did,” he said. 

Cr Kidd said taking over those lots would give the council greater control over projects and surety over its investment, as well as cut the amount of reporting to government currently required. 

He also wanted to see Orange Showground eventually included in the list.

“People want to keep it as a community asset,” he said.

The council will partner with Blayney and Cabonne councils, as well as the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council (OLALC), to participate in the negotiation program from July, hoping to be finalised by the end of the year. 

The report to councillors said joint ventures with OLALC for economic development and growth opportunities could be possible. 

Councillor Kevin Duffy asked whether the lots could be sold off, but governance manager Michelle Catlin said all land would be transferred as community land, requiring ministerial approval to make it operational. 

The negotiations are part of a wider state government strategy to clear some of the 30,000 outstanding Aboriginal land rights claims.