Northern Beaches Council released a 15 year strategy to meet the shortfall of sportsgrounds at last night’s Council’s meeting, tabling the strategy for community comment.

Northern Beaches Council Administrator, Dick Persson said it is clear the Northern Beaches does not have enough sportsgrounds with players being turned away, fields deteriorating with a rapid growth in participation rates.

“Analysis shows there’s currently a shortage of around 24 sportsfield that will increase to 41 over the next 15 years.”

Council released a Discussion Paper in April exploring a range of potential actions to address the shortfall, engaging the community to identify its level of support for the potential actions. It is clear from submissions the community supports the need for more sports fields on the Northern Beaches to meet an increasing demand for fields.

In response, Council has developed a 15 year strategy  that is focussed on the following priority actions identified through community engagement.

  • allocate sportsfields based on a needs and participation growth basis
  • improve the capacity and resilience of existing sportsfields through irrigation, drainage, lighting and ground reconfigurations
  • build new sports fields in new housing development areas (Warriewood and Ingleside)
  • partner with schools to provide additional sportsfields for the community
  • install synthetic surfaces on some existing sportsfields to enable greater use
  • convert suitable open space to sportsgrounds including some golf course land as needed

Mr Persson said the level of community engagement in the issue was encouraging.

“We received more than 5,000 submissions and that has made it clear that Council must take action to address the shortfall.

“This is a robust and balanced strategy that sees Council working to implement all feasible and affordable strategies over the next 5 years to make the most of our existing land and address the shortfall in supply.

“Council will also, over the next 5 years plan for the potential conversion of nine holes of Warringah golf course to a Centennial Park style sporting area incorporating fields, playgrounds and passive open space, with conversion to sportsfields from 2022 should the shortage of sportsgrounds not be met by that time.”

The Strategy includes a plan to provide certainty to Warringah Golf Club by seeking tenders for a new 20 year lease for the southern half of Warringah golf course, together with the Warringah Recreation Centre and North Manly Bowling Club (District Park), and a separate but linked lease to 2022 over the northern 9 holes, with three, five yearly extension options at the discretion of Council.

“This plan will provide more sportsfields to address the shortage and ensuring at a minimum that Warringah golf course remains as a nine-hole course.

“Now that we have produced a draft strategy we want to hear the community’s views,” Mr Persson said.

A final Draft Sportsground Strategy report is to be presented to the July Council meeting.

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