Hornsby Shire Council is calling for feedback from the community on the draft Sportsground Strategy that is currently on exhibition.
“This is an important document that will set the direction for Council’s efforts to meet the growing need for sporting facilities. This affects an enormous proportion of people within the Shire and we very much want to hear from those people before we decide on the final strategy.” Hornsby Shire Mayor Philip Ruddock said
The draft strategy identifies current issues and demand, examines options for future provision of sportsgrounds and sets guiding principles for priorities. “Hornsby Shire is in the highly enviable position right now of owning two major sites for future recreational facilities: Hornsby Quarry – including the neighbouring Old Mans Valley – and the former Sydney Water site at Westleigh,” Mayor Ruddock said.
“These will go a long way towards easing pressure on our existing sportsgrounds, but this significant investment makes it crucial that we get the strategy right.”
The NSW Government recently gave Hornsby Shire Council $90 million to go towards the Hornsby Quarry and Westleigh projects, the first instalment of compensation for financial difficulties caused by the redistribution of the Shire’s southern border.
To see the strategy and have your say visit www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/ sportsgroundstrategy.
Submissions will be accepted until the close of business on Friday 7 September.
Hornsby Shire’s sportsgrounds at a glance:
• Council provides 43 sportsgrounds with a total playing surface area of 59 hectares
• In the winter season, 76 percent of Council’s fields are allocated close to or over their adopted benchmark
• Football (soccer) is by far the largest user of sportsgrounds in the Shire, utilising 59 percent of the space. This is followed by AFL (11 percent), rugby union (9 percent) and rugby league (9 percent)
• The current shortfall of playing surface area is 12.6 hectares
• By 2026 it is estimated there will be a shortfall of 19.9 hectares
