COUNCIL CALLS FOR MINISTER TO SUPPORT SPORTS HUB LOCATION CHANGE
Dubbo Regional Council is calling for Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW, the Hon Tara Moriarty MLC to support a change of location for the Dubbo Sports Hub.
During an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, Council called for the minister to approve, as a matter of urgency, the variation for the Dubbo Indoor Multi-Sport Facility, as proposed by PCYC NSW and supported by the Office of Sport.
DRC Mayor Josh Black said the extraordinary meeting of Council put the spotlight on what was happening with the project, saying it was an important one for the whole region.
“It can still be delivered with the same outcomes, just at a different site, for our region. The Minns State Government needs to realise when it comes to programs for underprivileged children, there is a lot more to the state than just Moree, and they need to consider what is happening here in the Dubbo, western and far western regions,” Clr Black said.
“The Minns government simply cannot take nearly $50 million away from the youth of our region and redistribute it to communities to the east of Dubbo.”
Clr Black said sport was a vital part of the social fabric in the Dubbo Region, and there was a large range of sporting codes that would miss out if this funding was pulled.
“If the Minister doesn’t approve this minor variation, which is in effect only a change in location, she is ignoring the pleas of a large number of Councils, community members and sporting participants in the western region.
“There are over 550 players that use the basketball facility currently, which are grossly limited due to the size of the facility and the times they must play at night to fit more players on the courts. Of those players 400 are juniors,” Clr Black said.
The $48.6 million facility was announced in 2018 and would incorporate a PCYC Club, regional gymnastics facility and five multi-purpose courts for netball, basketball, indoor hockey, futsal and volleyball. The facility was originally proposed to be built at the CSU University campus, however with the tender substantially exceeding the allocated budget, PCYC NSW has led a proactive approach in putting forward a formal variation to see the development happen at the Sports World location in Dubbo.
Clr Black said this facility would just add to the opportunities for the youth in the Western Region.
“There are numerous advantages of changing the location including it sitting within the school precinct on Sheraton Road and easily being accessible by public transport, which has been significantly improved under the Transport for NSW 16 cities program,” Clr Black said.
“With the benefits, appropriate zoning and a development ready site, the NSW Government and Minister Moriarty should be confident the variation proposal ensures the project is delivered to meet community outcomes and within the budget.”
Last Edited: 04 Dec 2024