South Arm Oval Master Plan Design Review

Project overview

Clarence City Council is currently reviewing the South Arm Oval Master Plan (January 2018) to ensure its features and layout best satisfies the current and future needs of the local community. We require community input into the review of several key components of the Master Plan.

These include:

• The most appropriate method of sound mitigation for the skate park.
• A proposal for a men’s shed located next to the community centre car park.
• The revised design and layout of all key elements of the current Master Plan that are still to be implemented, such as the children’s play space.

Background

At a council meeting in February 2018, the current Master Plan (January 2018) for South Arm Oval, which incorporated community and recreational facilities, was adopted. A link to the plan is provided in the document library panel for information.

Stage one of the current Master Plan included the construction of the skate park, which was completed in September 2019. Extensive boundary landscaping and screen planting was also undertaken in 2019 in the south-east corner of the site to reduce views from the skate park into nearby residential properties.

Since the adoption of the current Master Plan and opening of the skate park, several items have come up relating to the impacts of public use of the oval site, which have triggered the need for a review of the plan.

These items include:

• Ongoing concerns from members of the community about the skate board impact noise coming from the skate park, and requests for the installation of sound mitigation measures to minimise noise impacts on nearby residents.
• Council plans to demolish the existing outdated public toilet block and construct a new facility in the same location.
• Installation of vehicle control bollards and boom gates following a council decision on 16 March 2020 to limit uncontrolled public vehicle access onto the oval.
• A proposal submitted to council from the South Arm Peninsula Men’s Shed Inc. seeking approval to lodge a Development Application for the construction of a men’s shed at the South Arm Oval. The shed is larger in size and in a different location to the shed indicated on the current Master Plan.

There are also several outstanding elements from the current Master Plan that are yet to be implemented, such as the children’s play space, explore track, footpath connections and general landscaping treatments. The design and layout of these outstanding items will be reviewed to ensure they fit in with any new site features to be added into the Master Plan.

Have your say

The engagement period for this project has now concluded.

Council decision

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit feedback on this consultation.

At a council meeting on 12 October 2020, council adopted the revised South Arm Oval Master Plan, which included the following recommendations:

1. That council adopt the revised South Arm Oval Master Plan to include the location for the Men’s Shed and to provide “in principle” support to the South Arm Peninsula Men’s Shed Inc. for the Men’s Shed project.
2. That council adopts the revised South Arm Oval Master Plan to include a modified play space and surrounds resulting from the community consultation.
3. That council adopts the revised South Arm Oval Master Plan to remove the hitting wall and hardstand area.
4. That council adopts the revised South Arm Oval Master Plan with an earth berm and paling fence and authorises the General Manager to engage a designer to prepare detailed engineering plans and estimate for Option 1 – Earth Berm with Paling Lap Fence to mitigate noise from the skate park. The General Manager to report back to council on the design and cost estimate for further consideration.
5. That council authorises the General Manager to write to residents and property owners in the vicinity of the South Arm Oval, SAPRA and Calverton Hall Committee and on council’s website advising of council’s decision.

Council officers will now undertake detail design of the master plan, including a final acoustic consultant review of the selected noise mitigation option. The acoustic report and final master plan will be presented to council for consideration.