Deputations and public questions to council, each opening on what council's minutes record of it.
2023-02-16
Public question
Ordinary Meeting
Brian O'Connor
What the minutes record
Question 1
In 2018 Noosa Council released its Sport and Active Recreation Plan and committed to complete master plans for five locations, including the Pomona Showgrounds. Four of the five master plans have been completed and are being implemented. The Pomona project is yet to start. In an email to me dated 9 July 2021, the council’s Community Development Manager, Ms Alison Hamblin, wrote: “In terms of the Pomona Showgrounds, we are committed to the three-to-five-year timeframe for a master plan over this site." Five years on from 2018 brings us to 2023. My question is this: “Can the people of Pomona expect Noosa Council to engage with them on preparation of a Pomona Showgrounds Master Plan in 2023-24?”
Response from Kerri Contini, Director Community Services
Pomona Showgrounds are freehold land, owned by Noosa Agricultural, Horticultural and Industrial Society, also known as Noosa Show Society. As freehold land, it is therefore up to the owner, Noosa Show Society, as to if or when a master plan is developed. The Show Society have been going through some transitions and have not indicated a wish to undertake a master plan at this time so it is not planned for 2023/24. Council will be happy to discuss a potential master plan with the Show Society if and when they are ready, as an overall master plan will help plan for the sporting and recreation needs of the Pomona community into the future and ensure that maximum community benefit can be gained from this important site.
This is council's own minuted record, in council's words. Nothing is reworded: the questions, headings and bullets are laid out as the printed minutes set them. Left out are the speaker's name (it heads this page), the minutes' page-header dates, and any “meeting adjourned” line the extract caught. Where an officer answered, the answer is minuted with the question and appears above.
Transcript of the recording
What this is. Transcript of council's recording, produced by automatic speech recognition and not checked line by line against the video. Names and figures are where this kind of transcript fails first. It is our transcript, not council's record. Recording © Noosa Shire Council. Council's own recording is linked above; where the two differ, the recording governs.
18:02 Mayor Stewart: Welcome, Mr O'Connor. Nice to see you. Would you like to come up to the lectern and ask your questions? And our Director of Community Services, Kerry Contini, will respond. Thank you, Kerry. Thanks, Brian.
18:14 Speaker 4: Thank you.
18:23 In 2018, Noosa Council released its Sports and Active Recreation Plan and committed to complete master plans for five locations, including the Pomona Showground. Four of the five master plans have been completed and are being implemented. The Pomona project is yet to start. In an email to me dated the 9th of July 2021, the Council's Community Development Manager, Ms Alison Hamblin, wrote, in terms of the Pomona Showgrounds, we are committed to the three to five year timeframe. For a master plan over this site. Five years on from 2018 brings us to 2023. So my question is this. Can the people of Pomona expect Noosa Council to engage with them on preparation of the Pomona Showgrounds master plan in 2023-2024? Thank you, Mr O'Connor.
19:30 Speaker 3: Thanks, Brian, for your ongoing passion for Pomona and its various facilities. Pomona Showgrounds is one of the most important facilities in New South Wales. They are unique in that they are freehold land, owned by the Noosa Agricultural, Horticultural and Industrial Society. We know them as the Noosa Show Society. As freehold land, it's therefore up to the owner, to the Show Society, as to if and when a master plan is developed over that site. Noosa Show Society has been going through a transition over the last couple of years. And at this point, they've not indicated a wish to undertake a master plan. So we have not planned it for 2023-2024. Having said that, at any point at which the Show Society decide they did want to embark on a master plan, Council would be very happy to discuss that with them and how, if and how we would support that. We obviously support them in other ways and would very much be part of that journey around a master plan because of the important support that they provide. So it's a space that that show ground plays both in the community for its sporting needs and its recreation needs.
20:45 Mayor Stewart: Thank you.
20:46 Speaker 3: Thank you, Kerry. Thank you, Mr. O'Connor.
20:48 Mayor Stewart: Thank you.
Also by Brian O'Connor