Shaping the future of recreation facilities and open spaces in the Snowy Monaro

Why have Council developed a strategy for recreation and open spaces? 

Recreation facilities and open spaces are important to our community, whether it's for sporting activities, exercise, socialising with family and friends or walking the dog. Everyone uses and values open spaces differently. The 2021 community satisfaction survey results show that parks, reserves and playgrounds are among the top three most important facilities and services to our community.

Many of our facilities are aging and don’t meet modern standards. Finding resources to maintain and renew infrastructure to meet our community’s expectations is a significant challenge. Our Local Government Area is diverse and the community needs vary across the region between our major towns and rural villages.

The Strategy draws on important data including, the current and projected demographics of the Snowy Monaro, changing community needs, the demand for recreation, and patterns and trends in how people use sport and recreation facilities and open spaces.

The strategy provides the overarching framework and strategic direction for recreation and open space planning and development in the Snowy Monaro region for the next 10 years.

What’s included in the Strategy?

The plan will provide a road map for planning and developing sport and recreation facilities to cater for the region's current and future population.

Key components of this project include:

Facility Audit 

A comprehensive inventory Including location, size, facility type, condition and user groups for all public parks, sportsgrounds, showgrounds, and recreation land owned and/or managed by Council.

Data gathering and Analysis

Demographic indicators and recreational trends that influence decision making around facility provision. Review of National, State, Regional and Local plans relevant to recreation planning.

Consultation and Stakeholders Engagement

For a comprehensive understanding of the current situation, over 90 interviews were undertaken with local sporting clubs, groups, 355 committees, show societies, regional and state corporations, internal Council staff and local schools. A recreation needs survey was undertaken in 2019 and the 2022 community satisfaction survey also provided wider community feedback on current issues and desires for the future.

Recreation Needs Analysis

Provides an assessment of the current supply and demand of open space and identifies gaps, opportunities and constraints.

Planning Principles and Guidelines

Council are a signatory of the NSW Public Spaces Charter. The Charter identifies planning principles that guide community advocates, advisors, decision-makers, planners, designers and place managers in creating new and improved public spaces.

The Planning Guidelines form an appendices to the Recreation Strategy to ensure any future development or improvement of our existing recreation network is carefully considered and sustainable.

The following link provided further information on the Public Spaces Charter NSW Public Spaces Charter | Transport for NSW

Action Plan

Identifies what needs to be done to improve ongoing management, at which level of priority and by who.

The public exhibition period allows Council staff to undertake further engagement with the wider community on the key outcomes and proposed actions required to achieve our vision to have a diverse range of recreation facilities that are high quality and sustainably managed.