Salisbury Council to send revised $2.7m masterplan for Salisbury Oval for community consultation
Salisbury Council has developed a communications strategy to avoid “surprises” as it attempts for a second time to win public support for a masterplan to redevelop Salisbury Oval.
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Salisbury Council has engaged a private consultancy to help secure community support for a revised $2.7 million masterplan to redevelop Salisbury Oval.
Urban planning company GHD Group has developed a communications strategy for council after it encountered unexpected public opposition to a plan to sell off green space for housing.
The residential backlash against its proposed disposal of Neales Green forced it to abandon a masterplan it had spent several years developing.
The council has now approved a revised version to be sent out for public feedback which recommends turning Neales Green into a junior training facility for Salisbury Football Club.
It also seeks public input into the redevelopment of empty space on the former St Jays Recreation Centre site on Brown St such as a medical facility, nursing home, retirement village or a community building.
The masterplan includes a new toilet on Neales Green, recreation and exercise equipment on Brown Tce and the installation of multipurpose sports courts.
Feedback already has been obtained from the Salisbury Football Club and Salisbury Sportsmans Club, which have written letters to the council outlining their preferred options.
GHD will now conduct surveys with residents and other stakeholders to determine what they want the masterplan to achieve.
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The company said its strategy was developed “to ensure there are no ‘surprises’ for the City of Salisbury and its stakeholders and no delays due to stakeholder and community issues or objections”.
GHD said it wanted to deliver the key messages that:
COUNCIL consulted the community before it decided to revoke the status of community land at Neales Green and St Jays as part of the original masterplan in 2017.
NEEDS of the Salisbury Football Club and Salisbury Sportsmans Club since had changed, particularly with the growth of female football and junior sport.
COUNCIL “had listened and had resolved” to keep “all of Neales Green and all of the Brown Tce frontage of Salisbury Oval” for recreational use.
NEALES Green “will be used as an open space recreational area as a football training and junior games oval”.
The community consultation will involve doorknocking of nearby residents, a letterbox drop, telephone information line, public notices, online survey and a social media campaign.
Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge said the council had responded to community feedback and worked closely with sporting clubs to refine the Salisbury Oval Masterplan “to better meet the evolving sporting and recreational needs of our community”.
“We are excited to be continuing the upgrade – having already delivered improved clubroom, grandstand and change facilities – to further enhance recreation facilities along Brown Terrace and preserving Neales Green for sport and recreation uses,” she said.
“We encourage all community members to review and have their say on the amended masterplan when consultation begins in the coming weeks.”
Details have been sought from council on the cost of the GHD consultancy.