2019-03-12 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                    12 MARCH 2019


Finance
The Department of Housing and Public Works - Sport and Recreation have provided funds for
the development of a Regional Facilities Plan for Difficult to Locate Sports, by way of a $75,000
Sport and Recreation Planning Funding Program grant. Noosa Council and Gympie Regional
Council have provided contributions of $6,250 each with Sunshine Coast Regional Council
allocating an amount of $12,500.

The costs of implementing the recommendations of the Regional Facilities Plan for Difficult to
Locate Sports are recognised as being beyond the capacity of the three Councils to fund in their
own right. The adoption of the Plan will provide relevant stakeholders, community groups, peak
bodies and the three Councils with a strategic direction to implement improvements in a clear
and focused way, and provide a foundation for future grant applications and facilities planning.

While there are no immediate financial implications for Noosa Council, there is the potential for
partnership projects in the future which may require a contribution from Council. This contribution
could be financial, in-kind or through the provision of expert assistance such as grant writing.
Each potential partnership project would be considered on its merit through Council’s normal
processes prior to any commitment being made.

Risks & Opportunities
 Failure to adequately plan for the difficult to locate network’s current and future uses will likely
   result in ongoing community disharmony.
 Failure to maintain an adequate level of service for sport and active recreation facilities may
   result in increased future costs and lead to community dissatisfaction.
 Regional planning exercises reduce the risk of ad-hoc development, which may be to the
   detriment of future service provision and uses.

In recognition of the challenges involved in locating, developing and managing facilities for
difficult to locate sports, the three Councils have agreed on a collaborative approach that aims to
share the overall planning and investment priorities for the four specific sports. The
recommendations rely strongly on collaboration between the three Councils, the State
government and with the sports involved.

Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
External consultation occurred as part of the development of the draft Plan, including ongoing
reference groups and targeted consultation with relevant peak bodies and local organisations.
Surveys and invitations to meet with the consultants were distributed to sporting clubs involved in
this study.

A community engagement period for the Draft Regional Facilities Plan for Difficult to Locate
Sports occurred from 29 October 2018 to 23 November 2018. This engagement phase provided
a 26 day opportunity for the community to review and provide feedback on the draft Plan’s
recommendations. The consultation phase was promoted across all three Councils through
various marketing formats including:
    Facebook
    Media release
    Online discussion and feedback through the ‘Have your say’ engagement platform
    Targeted sports and stakeholder consultation.




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