Have your say on sports precinct plan

A multi-purpose indoor centre and a premier field surrounded by a stadium and earth banks that could seat thousands of spectators are among the features proposed in the Fraser Coast Sports and Recreation Precinct Draft Master Plan 2022.

Deputy Mayor Darren Everard said Fraser Coast residents were encouraged to view the draft plan and have their say over the next month.

“The draft master plan is the strategic vision for the future staged development of the Fraser Coast Sports and Recreation Precinct, identifying what the site should look like and how it should function,” Cr Everard said.

“The draft plan considers community needs and aspirations, existing and potential future users as well as emerging trends in sport and recreation.

“It is not envisaged that all elements contained in the master plan will proceed immediately, with the plan providing a guide to an ultimate development of the precinct.

“The timing for how the precinct will develop will depend on available funding, demand and potential community and commercial partnerships.”

The draft Master Plan can be downloaded or viewed online on the Council’s Engagement Hub webpage - https://frasercoast.engagementhub.com.au/sport-precinct-master-plan

“We encourage local residents to have their say via an online survey on Council’s Engagement Hub, which is open now until Monday 21 February 2022,” Cr Everard said.

The 60-hectare Fraser Coast Sports and Recreation Precinct is on the corner of Woods Road and Chapel Road, Nikenbah.

Stage one of the precinct opened in February 2019 with facilities for netball, soccer and Oztag.

Since the opening, Fraser Coast Cycling has also been based at the precinct and Council has had discussions with the Hervey Bay Basketball Association to relocate to the precinct.

The precinct has been designed so the facilities complement each other and activate all areas of the site, supported by a state-of-the-art premier hub.

The Fraser Coast Sports and Recreation Precinct Draft Master Plan 2022 proposes that a premier field be a key focal point of the precinct, providing a first-rate facility capable of hosting high-level sporting and community events.

It could include permanently fixed seating for 3,500 spectators and grass spectator embankments surrounding the field, creating an amphitheatre effect and the ability to accommodate thousands more spectators.

Adjacent to the premier field would be a multi-purpose indoor centre that will cater for a variety of sport, recreation, and health and wellbeing activities, while it’s also proposed that the Hervey Bay pump track be located at the precinct.

“The completion of stage one was a significant milestone, but it’s also the first step in a long journey. This precinct will grow as our community grows,” Cr Everard said.

“It’s an investment for now and it’s an investment for the future of Fraser Coast sport, leisure and entertainment.”