Decision details

Moved by Councillor Phelps, seconded by Councillor Vithoulkas –

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          the Glebe Hockey Club has been an integral part of the Glebe community since 1931. They have been campaigning for a local, multi-purpose field for 35 years - since 1984 - and urgently require this field due to:

(a)        a large number of their juniors have been travelling outside their local area - to Concord - to train. The Glebe Under 9 and 11s teams especially and all their other junior teams do not have a home ground that is safe to play and train on in the local area. This field would provide that;

(a)        all of the local schools in the area want to utilise this area as most of them are feeder schools into our junior programme. An all-weather multi-purpose option for sport and physical activity is desperately needed in the area;

(b)        their present training space outside the local area is at a "critical tipping point of overcrowding". It is unsafe, high risk and the Club is losing players due to this overcrowding. Next year the Club has had to hire extra training time at Moorebank Liverpool, which is typically over an hour's drive from Glebe; and

(c)         Glebe Hockey Club are the only 1st Grade Premiership Club to not have their own artificial surface and, according to the club, it is starting to show. "We are struggling to survive, and this surface will be the shot in the arm that the Club needs. So we need it as quick as possible to give us that boost";

(ii)         on 28 October 2019, Council unanimously agreed to provide the Glebe Hockey Club with a synthetic multi-purpose playing field on the Crescent, Annandale, that is compliant with the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) size requirements for an internationally compliant Hockey5s field;

(iii)        on 18 November 2019, Council was advised via a response to a Question on Notice, that to design, conduct consultation and build this field would take 36 months, to be completed by third quarter 2022;

(iv)       as advised by this response, the delivery date of third quarter 2022 is due to "this [being] a contaminated site, [so] there are a range of complex investigative works that need to be undertaken, prior to the construction phase" which - as per the CEO response - is estimated to take only one quarter to complete;

(v)         this response also stated that community consultation has a 12-month timeline. In a typical Development Application (DA) process, Council has 40 days to approve the DA which includes a 14-day public display and feedback period;

(vi)       much investigative work has already been undertaken in the area as part of the City's project to improve The Crescent and Federal Park; and

(vii)      meanwhile, Glebe Hockey Club remains concerned for the health and safety of their players who are subjected to an "ongoing risk of injury on grass surfaces shared with AFL that are dangerously uneven and cut up" and presents a high liability risk for Council; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to work with the Glebe Hockey Club, the City, and other local stakeholders in order to fast-track the current timeline.

The motion was lost on the following show of hands –

Ayes (5)     Councillors Chung, Forster, Phelps, Scott and Vithoulkas

Noes (5)     The Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Kok, Miller, Scully and Thalis.

The Lord Mayor exercised her casting vote against the motion. The motion was declared lost.

Motion lost.

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