Russell Island Park approve; Council to ask for extra funding

Russell Island Park approve; Council to ask for extra funding
After two years of planning and discussion the final form of the Russell Island Sport and Recreation Park has been approved by the Redland City Council latest General Meeting.

Only Councillor John Burns who had been Councillor for the division when the land had been purchased, voted against the approval.

In the briefing notes the Council officers said that the development "prioritises children and young people" with the sorely needed full sized sports fields within easy reach of the ferry services to the other islands.

But Council has warned that it will only be completed as funds becoming available and even then, the large sports field suitable for code level team sport, multi-purpose courts, walking paths and recreational spaces could take up to a decade to complete.

Road priorities shifted to make park accessible

Making the park's sporting facilities accessible by vehicle is a major cost factor.

The SMBI 10 Year Capital Works Program will have to be adjusted to give priority to the park and will cost more than the playing fields themselves.

The final construction stage of Judith Street near the park which will give access from the southwest is programmed for the next financial year.

An important priority will probably be a partial sealing of Union Street, turnaround facility and formalised parking bays near the sports feilds during the 2013. This would cost about $200,000.

Other sealing would be done between Cavendish and Miriam Streets and the road network between Judith Street and Cavendish Street.

All other necessary external road and pathway works would need to be programmed to integrate seamlessly with the proposed Park construction in 2012/13 but as no seperate funding has been made available this would be at the expense of other road sealing and pathway projects on the SMBI.

The Council, in a letter to Russell Islanders in December had foreshadowed the development path of infrastructure development and capital works funded where possible through external grants, internal revenue and community partnerships

So far $150,000 is designated for detailed design in 2011/12 and $700,000 for construction in 2012/13. A further $1.2M has been budgeted for upgrade of the access streets.

Islanders have been disappointed that room was not made for either a Mens Shed or the Museum. Both organisations are now looking for alternative venues within the Russell Island Village.



Council undertook a research project in 2008 to investigate community needs and develop a strategy for sport and recreation on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI). The SMBI Sport and Recreation Strategy report was adopted by Council in February 2009.

The strategy identified a lack of structured activities and organised sport opportunities for children and young people. Club development and capacity building opportunities were also identified as a priority of the strategy along with walking and cycling paths and water-based recreation access points.

The land at Lot 1 RP 848591, 2-50 Union St and Lot 2 RP 848591 23 Nicholas St and Union Street Russell Island was identified as the preferred location for the sport and recreation park on Russell Island and a concept plan was drawn up as part of the study.

The identified land was previously a working avocado farm and the site has remnant avocado and other fruit trees. It is zoned ‘Rural Non Urban’ under the Redland Planning Scheme and is currently part of the 2A Amendment process to be rezoned to ‘Open Space’.


Mature trees will be saved
Significant works have been required to be undertaken to convert this land from a farm to usable public open space. The project to date has involved:

Purchase of the land
Acquiring funding from the Federal Government to upgrade the access and security to the farm house to gain compliance for this building to be used by the public
Working with the community to establish a voluntary community management structure for Kennedy’s Farmhouse to manage and maintain the facility.
A full Environmental Site Assessment that identified hazards to be dealt with as well as necessary works including the removal of several unsafe buildings from the site.
Works to remove asbestos and other contaminants was completed in November 2010
Council's local Parks and Conservation team removing overgrown trees and weeds and regularly mowing the site.
All the trees have been surveyed and identified with trees of high value for conservation to be retained where possible and environmental weed species marked for removal. This work will be progressively undertaken across the site.
Main features of the plan are:

Large sportsfield on the western side of the site that can cater to a range of football codes as well as other events and activities
Four multi-purpose courts that can provide for tennis, netball, volleyball and basketball
Recreation and playspaces
Community gardens
Walking tracks through the site with connections to the school and streets
Car parks and service access points
The old farmhouse is used as community space with the intention of building a new clubhouse/amenities/storage facility between the tennis courts and field in the future.
The draft master plan provides a sport and recreation activities focus for the Southern Moreton bay islands and prioritises opportunities for children and young people. The construction of four multi-courts and a large sports field will provide much needed sporting facilities for the Island residents. The proposed establishment of the community gardens and open access to the community facility will allow further programming options to include people from a wide spectrum of community groups across the islands.

In the 2010 Ten Year Capital Works Program (CAPEX) endorsed by Council in April 2010, $150,000 is designated for detailed design in 2011/12 and $700,000 for construction in 2012/13. PDG will provide a more detailed design and cost estimate for Community & Social Planning to actively seek grant funding for the implementation of the master plan. It is envisaged that State Government Major Sport and Recreation grants will open in March 2011 and that Council would apply for up to 50% of the eligible project costs. If Council is unsuccessful in this round of funding, it may be necessary to stage elements of the construction.

Infrastructure Planning Group (IPG) has advised that road and pathway works external to the Park will be necessary to provide appropriate lead-in and access facilities. Nicholas, Robert, High (from Primary School to Robert Street) and Union Streets will require various road seal, pathway, street lighting and formalised carparking treatments. A pre-design estimate of $1.2M has been approximated for those external works, excluding any allowance for significant road drainage costs encountered during a detailed design stage.

The 10 Year Capital Works Program (as at 7th Dec 2010) does not currently list these works under the Seal Gravel Road or Paths & Trails SMBI Programs. However, it is being proposed that a partial sealing of Union Street, turnaround facility and formalised parking bays at Kennedy’s Farm (anticipated budget required $200K) be undertaken in 2012/13 between Cavendish and Miriam Streets to complete the road network between Judith Street and Cavendish Street. This is consistent with the final construction stage of Judith Street programmed for 2011/12 and in partial response to the Park master planning. However, all other necessary external road and pathway works would need to be programmed to integrate seamlessly with the proposed Park construction in 2012/13 or its equivalent stages. This is currently being reviewed by IPG in terms of SMBI project priorities and capital budgets available under the applicable reserves.

Planning Scheme Implications

Land Use Planning was consulted and a zoning amendment is required to change from rural non-urban to open space under the Redland Planning Scheme. This is currently in process and is awaiting State Government approval. This amendment was presented to Council as part of a package of amendments in July 2010 and has now progressed to the next stage.

Further to the extensive engagement undertaken in the development of the SMBI Sport and Recreation Strategy, Council engaged directly with the community through public invitations to site meetings as well as individual meetings with community groups to further develop the master plan for the site. Targeted engagement of relevant internal staff also provided input to the functionality and primary aspects of the design.

The draft master plan was developed with this feedback and was opened to public comment for a period of three weeks.

Comments received from the public consultation phase were incorporated into the draft master plan where possible. Requests that could not be accommodated, such as the development of non sporting facilities, were noted by Council Officers for an alternative course of action. The Concept Lands

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

Moved by: Cr Townsend Seconded by: Cr Boglary

That Council resolve to:

Name the site identified as Lot 1 RP 848591, 2-50 Union St, Lot 2 RP 848591, 23 Nicholas St, Russell Island as the Russell Island Sport and Recreation Park;
Endorse the draft master plan of Russell Island Sport and Recreation Park for planning purposes; and
Submit an application to State Government for grant funding for the construction of Russell Island Sport and Recreation Park infrastructure.
Crs Reimers, Murray, Elliott, Bowler, Williams, Townsend, Henry, Ogilvie, Boglary and Hobson voted in the affirmative. Cr Burns voted in the negative.