3.3. Dorothy Laver Reserve West
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Services Special Committee Agenda 12/11/18 3.3 Dorothy Laver Reserve West - Consultation Feedback Abstract Council has undertaken public consultation on a proposal to install a synthetic sports surface at Dorothy Laver Reserve West (DLRW). The purpose of this report is to table submissions received and provide an opportunity to hear verbal feedback, noting that the matter will then be reported to the Council meeting on 10 December 2018 for a decision on whether to proceed with the concept. Council’s Sport and Recreation Strategy 2016 (S&RS) identified sports experiencing high growth in demand that will require additional access to facilities in the future. Soccer is one of the priority sports for addressing the high growth in demand within the municipality and growth in soccer has continued at significant rates since the S&RS was developed. This growth has been driven particularly by increases in junior and female participation. There are two primary ways to provide adequate assets to respond to the significant demand increases in soccer. One is to add additional assets (through land purchases), and the other is to change existing assets so they can accommodate greater use. Practically, land of the size required to accommodate a sporting field is rarely if ever available in Boroondara and, if it were, the land would cost tens of millions of dollars to acquire. A strategy of increasing utilisation is therefore seen as the most effective solution to this municipal wide problem of demand for sport outstripping the current supply of sport facilities. It is for this reason Council is looking to synthetic playing surfaces as one solution to the challenges presented by increasing sport participation. Officers undertook an assessment of all sports grounds within the municipality to determine an appropriate location for a synthetic sports surface. All Council managed sports fields were assessed and scored against a set of criteria to determine their suitability for construction of a synthetic surface. These criteria included physical constraints, heritage, character, impact of residents, impact on park users, and potential for increased use. Dorothy Laver Reserve West was identified as a preferred location and community consultation was undertaken. Formal consultation commenced on 22 June 2018. This involved: A letter and information sheet delivered to 393 homes within a 500m radius of DLRW Posters displayed around DLRW to inform park users of the proposal ‘Have Your Say’ survey on Boroondara’s website A community information sessions on 26 June and 18 July 2018 Direct engagement meetings with committee members from impacted clubs. Community consultation closed 24 July, with sporting clubs provided additional time to submit a club proposal. Club submissions were received in the ensuing period, with the final club submission received on 25 October 2018. Officers flag there were issues with the early part of the consultation as information regarding the DLRW site was inadvertently made known to external parties prior to formal consultation being undertaken. This caused significant angst and concern for stakeholders including the Camberwell Lacrosse Club (CLC) who are the current City of Boroondara 16 Services Special Committee Agenda 12/11/18 winter tenant at DLRW, and Ashburton United Junior Football Club (AUJFC) who is a pre-season user of the ground, and it was not the level of robustness that we would have liked. In recognition of this, officers responded initially through the CEO and other officers meeting with the lacrosse club to acknowledge the issue and provide assurance regarding the consultation process moving forward. From there officers met with the CLC a further four times to hear their concerns and talk about issues and options. Officers also extended the offer to meet with all impacted clubs and the AUJFC took up this offer. Community feedback is described in the report and its attachments. The principle underpinning the officers’ approach in assessing and considering feedback has been to apply an evidence based analysis of best fit between assets and the users of those assets. Officers are seeking an outcome that provides a fair level of access to all clubs, while improving the overall capacity of the City’s sporting assets to address growing sport participation. For transparency, officers flag their preliminary view regarding the proposal having reviewed written submissions and other consultation feedback. The officer recommendation to Council on 10 December 2018 will be finalised once verbal submissions have been heard at this meeting, and may be amended following this final step in hearing community feedback. Officers’ preliminary view is to recommend proceeding with a synthetic surface at DLRW, which will result in: CLC being relocated and consolidating its use to Eric Raven Reserve (ERR), with future growth needs being accommodated through provision of an overflow ground Officers working with CLC on their future growth and ongoing viability Glen Iris Cricket Club (GICC) being relocated from DLRW to other suitable grounds, details of which are being worked through with GICC representatives and Cricket Victoria (CV) A number of pre-season tenants being relocated to other locations (including the AUJFC). This preliminary officer view is tabled, noting the proposal will generate capacity for an additional 104 hours of sport per week, responding to the City-wide challenge faced by Council with demand for sport exceeding the capacity of its sports field assets. It is officers’ view that the needs of all clubs impacted by this proposal can be fairly accommodated, and that all clubs can continue to enjoy sporting opportunities in Boroondara. Confidential information is contained in Attachment 8 as circulated in the confidential section of the agenda attachments, in accordance with Section 89(2) of the Local Government Act 1989, as the information includes personal affairs. If discussion of the confidential information in the attachments to this report is required in order for Council to make a decision, this item will be deferred to the confidential section of the agenda. City of Boroondara 17 Services Special Committee Agenda 12/11/18 Officers' recommendation That the Services Special Committee resolve to: 1. Receive and note submissions received through the community engagement and consultation process for the proposal to install a synthetic surface at Dorothy Laver Reserve West. 2. Note this matter will come before Council for a decision on whether to proceed, amend or abandon the proposal, at a Council meeting to be held on 10 December 2018. City of Boroondara 18 Services Special Committee Agenda 12/11/18 Responsible director: Bruce Dobson Environment & Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose The purpose of this report is to table written submissions received, and hear verbal submissions, regarding the proposal to install a synthetic surface at Dorothy Laver Reserve West (the DLRW proposal). This matter will then come before Council for a decision on whether to proceed, amend or abandon the proposal, at a Council meeting to be held on 10 December 2018. 2. Policy implications and relevance to community plan and council plan The Boroondara Community Plan received over 11,500 responses across the two stages of consultation. 800 residents (11%) indicated in the Boroondara Community Plan feedback that sporting facilities (including clubs) were highly valued by the community. Over a quarter of these respondents (28%) directly requested that resources be put into maintaining, developing, and providing access to sporting facilities and infrastructure in the community. The Boroondara Open Space Strategy (BOSS) technical report and Council’s Sport and Recreation Strategy 2016 (S&RS) both identify the need for Council to respond to increased demand for active sport, and flag synthetic playing surfaces as a solution for investigation. 3. Background The background section of the report will provide the history and context of this project and will cover the topics of: a. The need for a synthetic sport surface b. The site selection methodology for a synthetic sport surface c. The proposed location for a synthetic sport surface The need for a synthetic sports surface The Sport and Recreation Strategy 2016 (S&RS) identified sports experiencing high growth in demand that will require additional access to facilities in the future. From a field sports perspective, Soccer is one of the priority sports for addressing the high growth in demand within the municipality and growth in soccer has continued at significant rates since the S&RS was developed. Further detailed quantitative assessment of the growth of soccer shows (source: Football Federation Victoria): 21% growth in registered players from 2014 - 2016 19% growth in 2016 in Miniroos girls (aged under 11) 10% growth in junior girls (aged 12 to 17) City of Boroondara 19 Services Special Committee Agenda 12/11/18 Particular infrastructure and other challenges for soccer include: Providing a sufficient number of sporting fields to meet demand Demand for soccer extending beyond the traditional winter season, putting pressure on the traditional summer sports Compliance with particular Football Federation Victoria (FFV) standards Accommodating requested weekday usage by schools Demand for non-club based and unstructured sport. There are two primary ways to provide adequate assets to respond to demand increases in