2017-07-11 S&O Agenda - Attachment 1 to Item 3 - Draft Sport & Active Recreation Plan

the benefits of gentle exercise in a warm water environment and would also provide an all-
weather option for infant and pre-school swimming lessons.

Sports such as water polo that require a significant proportion of pool space and specific depths
for competition are struggling to find adequate space for training and competition, often turning
away members and travelling outside of the Shire to access facilities. Additionally, there are
currently no competitive diving pools in the Sunshine Coast region and Diving Qld is looking to
source a suitable venue outside of Brisbane. Given the significant costs in establishing and
running aquatic facilities, partnerships between Council, schools and private providers should
be investigated for any future facility expansion and provision. As the solely Council managed
aquatic facility in the Shire, the Noosa Aquatic Centre would greatly benefit from the
development of a facility master plan which would consider demand based expansion of facilities
such as a zero depth pool, warm water pool etc

       Schools
 The use of school grounds for community sport purposes is often flagged as a solution to
 combat a shortage of community land for sport. Nine out of 16 schools in Noosa currently offer
 facilities for community sport use. The common issues surrounding use of school facilities for
 club-based sport are:
     Use is dependent on the principal of the day;
     Often playing spaces are too small for competition eg insufficient run-off or safety zones;
     Often sites are single court or single field facilities meaning clubs must spread across
      numerous venues impacting on the sense of ‘home ground’ and club culture;
     No or very limited on-site storage;
     No or limited access to essential amenities for club operation eg toilets/change rooms,
      canteen facilities;
     Occasionally limited to junior competition due to restrictions on adult presence in
      school environment; and
     School will always have priority access, potentially leading to postponement or
      cancellation at short notice of competition due to school functions/events.

 Consideration should be given to partnerships in future development of sports facilities on
 school-controlled land to ensure designs incorporate the need for community use. This
 may include financial investment in the construction and management from sources other
 than education providers. Council should seek to partner with Education Qld at a regional
 level to provide a consistent and considered approach to further investigation of expanding
 the use of school grounds to accommodate community use including future development
 of facilities.

       Skate Parks
 The Noosa Shire has seven local skate parks spread across the Shire. As skateboarding is a
 sport included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it is predicted that these facilities will have
 increased usage. The Australian Skateboard Federation (ASF) are the peak national body for
 skating boarding and are increasing localised competitions and workshops nationally in an
 effort to establish athlete development pathways and identify athletes for elite competition.
 South East Qld has been earmarked as the future national hub for skateboarding. The Shire’s
 skate parks are small-scale with duplicated styles, elements and experiences which only
 service local catchment areas. Council intends to progressively upgrade these facilities,

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