FAQs about exhibited documents

The Synthetic Sportsgrounds Management Plan 2018 sets out management guidelines that address the increased usage that a sportsground undergoes once conversion to a synthetic sports surface occurs.

It covers the four synthetic sportsground in the Willoughby LGA (Gore Hill Oval, Chatswood High School Oval, Thomson Oval and Northbridge Oval).

The review was undertaken to determine whether the Synthetic Sportsgrounds Management Plan needed to change to meet both sporting demand and casual access to the sportsgrounds.

Council has finite access to sportsgrounds as there are no more available sites and land purchase and development is cost prohibitive. 

The challenge for Council has been to balance community sports demand with casual recreation demand. This interface became evident during the Covid-19 restrictions when Public Health Orders suspended competition sport, but the community were encouraged to exercise locally. 

The Council is proposing:

• An increase in weekend booking times at Northbridge Oval to reflect a trial held in August-September 2022 (see more detail below).
• A decrease in Sunday booking times at Thomson Oval (see more detail below).
• No longer having a monthly Sunday rest day for Northbridge Oval, Thomson Oval and Chatswood High School Oval, and instead using this former rest day for women and girls sport played at a local and district level.
• For Gore Hill Oval, allocating at least one Sunday per month to women and girls’ sport played at a local and district level.

Subject to community engagement and a further Council decision, it is expected the changes will come into effect from the 2023 winter season onwards.

At present, for Northbridge Oval, Thomson Oval and Chatswood High School Oval, there must be no sporting bookings on at least Sunday each month, to allow any community members to have full access to these ovals.   

The revised Plan seeks to instead use this rest day for bookings for women and girls’ sport at a local and district level.  

This follows sporting clubs and associations, in interviews with a consultant commissioned by the Council, stating they expected a 30 per cent growth in female participation over the next five years.

A decrease in booking times at Thomson Oval on Sundays is proposed. The Oval is currently available for bookings between 9am and 6pm on Sunday. It is proposed to reduce those hours to between 9am and 1pm.

This change will not affect any local junior community sport, given the Oval is currently not booked on Sunday afternoons after 1pm for this purpose. 

In addition, the local community have expressed concerns that the oval is dominated by sports bookings and they cannot enjoy the ground for casual recreation. The reduction in booking hours helps to address those concerns.

In addition, and as indicated above, the existing monthly Sunday rest day at Thomson Oval will now be used for women and girls sport played at local and district level.

In August-September 2022, the Council trialled increased weekend hours for Northbridge Oval (Saturday hours increased from 8am – 7pm to 8am – 9pm and Sunday hours increased from 9am – 6pm to 8am- 7pm).

Given the broad support for these extended hours, it is proposed to incorporate them on an ongoing basis in the Synthetic Sportsground Management Plan. 

In addition, like Thomson and Chatswood High Ovals, it is proposed to remove the Sunday monthly rest day and re-use this for women and girls’ sports played at a local and district level.

A Sunday rest day at Northbridge Oval was first included to address increased sport usage following the conversion of the ground to synthetic turf in 2011. 

The Chatswood High School Oval change will see the existing Sunday monthly rest day re-purposed for women and girls sport played at local and district level.

At Gore Hill Oval, it is proposed that on at least one Sunday per month, the Oval must be used exclusively for women/ girls sport played at local and district level. 

There is currently no monthly Sunday rest day for Gore Hill and it is proposed that this arrangement continues.

Yes, in November 2021 NSW Government commissioned the NSW Chief Scientist to provide expert advice on the use of synthetic turf in public open space. 

The Council understands the NSW Government is preparing Guidelines on the use of synthetic surfaces in public open space. The Council will consider this advice when it is received, while noting (as explained below) that there are no plans to create any additional synthetic fields.

Council does not intend to convert more sportsgrounds to synthetic turf. The renewal of the existing synthetic turf surface at Thomson Oval is scheduled in Council’s 2023/24 Operational Plan, subject to available funding. 

Officers will consider the NSW Government Guidelines in planning these works.

Council has finite access to sportsgrounds as there are no more available sites and land purchase and development is cost prohibitive. 

Consequently, the beneficiaries of the available sportsgrounds are the City’s residents playing sport at a local and district level. 

The Community Use of Sports Facilities Policy 2021 addresses these issues by focussing Council priorities and resources for the Willoughby community.

The following changes are proposed:

• Addition of Community Priority 3.5 - Balance population growth and development with quality of life - from the Council’s Community Strategic Plan 2032.
• Addition to the Policy Principles – under Social Justice/ Equity – that we ensure fairness and gender balance in the provision and allocation of community sport facilities. 
• Addition to the Policy Statement – Regional level improvements for Council sport facilities should be funded by non-Council sources, the relevant sport codes and their peak State bodies. 
• Addition of a definition for Regional level sport- as per the definitions in the NSW Government Office of Sport – Sport Facility Hierarchy 2019.

As per the definition in the NSW Government Office of Sport – Sport Facility Hierarchy 2019:

Council provides and maintains sport facilities that cater to local and district sport i.e. community based sport. A sports code can require a higher level of facility improvements due to their involvement with regional level competitions. If so, then the costs for those improvements should be covered by non-Council sources e.g. government grants. 

In August 2022 Council engaged recreation consultant Smart Connections P/L to undertake the review of the Synthetic Sportsgrounds Management Plan 2018 and the related policy- Community Use of Sports Facilities Policy 2021.   The review involved contact with the following stakeholders:

• Sports hirers of the Council’s sportsgrounds.
• Progress Associations.
• Similar Councils in the Sydney Metropolitan area. 

 Smart Connections also gave consideration to the results of a trial of extended hours for Northbridge Oval, which was undertaken during the 2022 Winter Sports Season. The outcome of the trial was reported to Council on 19 September 2022.

Feedback can be provided:

• Via this project page on or before 20 February 2023
• At drop in sessions in early February 
• Via meetings with Council staff

 Council staff will collate all responses and provide a report to Council’s meeting of 27 March 2023. Any amendments to the Synthetic Sportsgrounds Management Plan must be adopted prior to the commencement of the 2023 Winter Sports Season.