Master plan for $192m sports precinct approved

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council has formally adopted the $192 million Charlton Sports Precinct Master Plan.

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council has formally adopted the $192 million Charlton Sports Precinct Master Plan.

Council has acquired several lots of land at Charlton totalling 43.87 hectares to accommodate the first stage of the project and is looking to acquire a further 43.5 hectares for the second stage.

Parks and recreation spokeswoman Cr Sue Englart said in sporting parlance - the recruitment had gone well and the good signs coming from the pre-season were indicating a successful season ahead.

"Everyone loves a bit of sporting banter," Cr Englart said.

"And we know the hard yards are before us on this one, but we have plans in place to make sure our performance will get it done."

Cr Englart said consultation with key stakeholders in 2013 and 2014 had resulted in the masterplan now being ready to take to market as a prospectus for the build and development of the site.

"Council identified the strategic need for a sporting complex of this standard to drive economic growth in the region and cater for future sporting needs of the city's residents," Cr Englart said.

"We then consulted with key sporting bodies to inform the mix of sporting facilities needed on the site and now we have our plan in place we will be looking to build the facility as a staged development.

"I think this decision shows some foresight from council as these facilities will be needed as the city continues to grow. The size and scale of this project means we will need to find a range of partners and funding including the Queensland and Federal governments to bring Stage 1 on-line by 2021, but I think this is entirely achievable.

"We are already fielding enquiries from sporting bodies interested in what we can provide and there is real potential to bring an individual sporting association as a cornerstone partner going forward."

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Cr Englart said the pre-planning process went well beyond what was built into a typical master plan in relation to demand analysis, facility mix identification and design.

"As part of the initial planning we have looked at how the precinct will function when it stages a major event … that has allowed us to ensure the right infrastructure is developed at the appropriate time," she said.

"Enough flexibility had been built into the Master Plan that if a particular sport became involved in the early stages the facility could be developed to meet their needs without compromising future demands.

"We are open to discussion from anyone interested," Cr Englart said.  "This is a long-term project and we are at the start of the journey … we have our road map, but we will need more team players to join us on the bus."

Originally published as Master plan for $192m sports precinct approved