Higgins Park and Playfield Reserve Masterplan Comments received through the submission form available during the public advertising period. Please note: not all submissions included a comment. Submissions without a comment have been removed from this table. No. Submission received Officer’s response Amended Y/N 1 Our family wish to continue to use the wide-open space of this beautiful Park. Permanent Noted N Hockey facilities is a detriment when there is a large facility at Curtin University. This is a very serious matter for us. Also given the recent rise in rates and given the serious nature of Covid19 Recession. I strongly urge the council not to engage in million dollar spending projects. Regards, 2 Higgins Park Master Plan - Being an active member of the TOVP community I do not agree Noted N with the proposal of a Hockey Playing surface at Higgins Park. Options 1 & 2 disrupt the current Football Clubs operations and Playing fields. As a local community Footy Club run by volunteers the necessity to provide sport activities within the precinct is invaluable. This provides a engaged and supportive group which gives back. I do understand that Hockey as a sport also needs to be catered for but the displacement of a well established and strong Football club will be the demise of the club. Option 3 is the best outcome that should be ruled on to provide a future for the Football Club. As a coach of one of many teams, the recommendation to train at different ovals with in the ToVP is not an option. I have 3 children who currently play Football at the Raiders and if you want parents like myself to deliver our kids all over the precinct makes it more difficult which would result in more non participation (Drop Outs). I am one of many that oppose Options 1 & 2 of the Masterplan. 3 Vic park lacks the grounds needed to support Hockey development in the zone. Noted N 4 The reserve is used at capacity in winter and there are enough synthetic turfs locally already. Noted N 5 I selected option 2 as my strongly support as it is important to have powered lights to be Noted N switched on more importantly for security reasons but also for winter sports and training. I am happy to see to new upgrades happen at Higgins Park as long as the community can still make use of the ovals and playgrounds surrounding Higgins and it doesn't just become a stadium. 7 • The size, scale and spatial impact of the infrastructure required for a fenced synthetic hockey Noted. Thanks for taking N turf at Higgins Park will have an unacceptable impact on the community. the time to complete a • The proposal to include a fenced synthetic hockey turf will reduce the availability and submission form. accessibility of Higgins Park to all members of the community. • The synthetic turf will be located on 3 sides by residential properties. There is no other fenced synthetic hockey turf in Perth where this occurs. • The closest residential property will be approximately 50m away from the proposed synthetic turf location and the impact on surrounding residents will be unacceptable. • Higgins Park is only 7.2 Ha in area where all other similar facilities are located on reserves ranging in area from 15 to 85 Ha. • A fenced synthetic hockey turf will not fit spatially onto Higgins Park without considerable tree removal and retaining. • There is no demonstrated ‘need’ or business case for a fenced synthetic hockey turf. This is a ‘want’ of the club and not even supported by Hockey WA. • There is an oversupply of synthetic hockey turfs in Perth, particularly in the region surrounding Higgins Park. • Any fenced synthetic hockey turf will squeeze out the Raiders. • Option 2 is out of scope and its inclusion denies procedural fairness to the community and the Raiders. • Synthetic hockey turfs end up in landfill at the end of their life. • ‘in hot conditions, a synthetic grass sporting area can be up to 40% hotter than a natural grass field’. • A fenced synthetic hockey turf would not be accessible to the community unless the Hockey club ‘hired’ it to them. • The WASPs are undertaking a feasibility study for the development of a synthetic hockey turf at Collier Reserve South Perth and identified VP Hockey club as a ‘partnership opportunity ‘.This site is more suitable. • Hockey WA is in the process of reviewing its business model for the State Centre at Curtin University due to there being only three clubs requiring ongoing access to the two turfs provided at the site. Why Option 3? • Supports a variety of uses. • No trees are removed. • No exclusive fenced off areas. • Maintains a sense of spaciousness. • Minimal impact on surroundings residents. • This option allows the Raiders to grow and continue their grass roots programs. • Lowest cost to the ToVP and ratepayers. • Secures vital green public open space and amenity for all members of the community into the future. • The open nature of active reserves such as Higgins Park need to be maintained with potential enhancements and embellishments which will encourage activation and provide for socialising when not used for sporting purposes. • Higgins Park is already recognised by the Town as being ‘at or above capacity’ during the winter sports season. • The Town of Victoria Park community rated Parks and Public Open Spaces as their number one public health priority in the Healthy Vic Park Plan. The Town of Victoria Park is cool and I love living here. This whole of idea of fencing off valuable green public open space for the exclusive use of a club where only 44% of their members actually live in ToVP is DUMB. 8 We moved to this particular house because of the park and its peace, its abundance of mature Noted. Thanks for taking N trees and wonderful bird life. Due to the absence of university staff & students parking up and the time to complete a down Creaton, Playfield & Pallit Streets during COVID, the bird life population has grown submission form. exponentially over the past few months, and we and other locals get to enjoy them in the park every day. To see nature marred by synthetic turf, fencing and formal grounds when the park is already so well-utilised by others seems like development for development's sake, and not in the best interest of the local community or the natural environment overall. While our family are not huge footy fans personally, it is absolutely massive at Higgins Park, with many children and youth playing the game on a daily basis (even in the off-season). Higgins Park is well-known in the area for football in winter, and cricket in summer. Further, these sports do not require the grass to be replaced with unattractive, unnatural synthetic turf, fenced off and formalised into dedicated hockey grounds. Hockey fields and synthetic turf will restrict usage by other members of the community - at least football & cricket fields are multi- disciplinary. We will be able to see the fenced synthetic hockey field from our living room picture windows, and I do not want that. Hockey fields are less than a kilometre away at Curtin University. It seems a little remiss to have two hockey fields in such close proximity. I know many, many families in Vic Park who are heavily involved in football, soccer, basketball, cricket, netball and tennis at a grassroots level. I know only one family who play hockey. The fact that two grass pitches and one synthetic turf (in addition to Curtin) are being considered for a less popular local sport seems like overkill. 9 Synthetic turf is appalling for the environment and sits in landfill forever. No point in banning Noted N single use plastic in the Town, then allowing a massive area of synthetic turf, which needs to be replaced every 6-10 years at a very significant cost, to replace beautiful and environmentally friendly and necessary grass! Hockey clubs can share existing turfs - better for the environment and better for the community. All other hockey clubs do this. No other hockey club has their own and won’t share! Options 1 and 2 partially or completely displace the football club which has been there for decades and has a very strong community focus, not to mention around 90% ToVP residents as members. A club with a 10% aboriginal membership should be particularly supported and valued. As a growing sport football needs the space, as a sport in decline, hockey can share. I understand that Xavier’s have many top players, which they continue to retain, without having their own synthetic turf. This proves they don’t need their own synthetic turf, otherwise those players would have moved elsewhere. The reserve has already been assessed as operating at or above capacity in winter. You can see that from the amount of cars parked there throughout winter. There simply isn't space for another winter sport. We cannot afford to lose more mature trees and threaten the existence of trees of major significance, by building a turf into their roots, which would have to happen if Option 1 is chosen. We cannot afford to lose the limited public green space available to our growing community. I recently attended a ToVP workshop, trying to work out how we could solve the issue of having such a limited about of public green open space available to our residents, with suggestions such as using sumps and verges. It’s unforgivable for the ToVP to suggest removing such a large amount at such a great expense to ToVP residents, without any benefit to them at all.