From technology-driven games controlled by augmented reality to yoga, swimming, hiking, paddling and everything in between, the council is seeking feedback on its plans for sport and leisure in the Tweed over the next 10 years.
As part of our commitment to empowering the community to be more active and healthy, Tweed Shire Council last year partnered with the Better Cities Group to develop a new sport and active recreation strategy.
The Sport and Active Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2033 will provide the direction for the planning, development and management of the Tweed Shire's sport and leisure facilities for the next 10 years. It will be an important planning tool for guiding future resource priorities, major projects and initiatives that support participation in community sport and active recreation.
The Council is asking the community to review the draft strategy currently on display and share their thoughts by submitting a submission by 4pm on Friday 31 May 2024.
The aim of the draft strategy is to broadly understand future sport and active recreation needs in the Shire and to identify gaps or surpluses in existing and anticipated new facilities. It looks like this:
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Understand and predict future sport and active recreation needs in the Shire
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Identify general community trends in Tweed, NSW (and consider QLD) and Australia
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Investigate participation and facility provision, including new sports and activities and changes to participation rates for existing sports
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Lead and inform the planning of future development and allocation of existing sports and active leisure facilities
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Guide and inform Council on the future management and processes of sports and active recreation areas and facilities
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Guide and inform the Council's existing program and service offering in the area of sport and active recreation and identify opportunities to expand and improve current offerings.
Parks and Active Communities Manager Murray Smith said the council needed to plan to ensure everyone in the community had easy access to affordable places and programs to take part in.
“Sport and active recreation are essential for our physical and mental health and central to bringing communities together. That’s why this strategy is so important,” said Mr Smith.
“We need to plan to accommodate an expected population growth of more than 7,600 people over the next 10 years, meaning the Tweed is estimated to need at least 13 hectares of additional space for sport and active recreation and will also take species into account,” the of Facilities and programs offered to us.
“At a regional level, sport and recreation also contributes to economic development by creating jobs, boosting tourism, developing infrastructure and increasing consumer spending – and let’s not forget that the 2032 Olympics are on our doorstep in south-east Queensland become.
“We have also identified trends that will impact sport and active recreation in the Tweed and that need to be planned for. These include technology-driven sports such as e-sports and augmented reality, continued growth in lifestyle sports such as yoga, swimming, hiking and paddling, and women's sports, which are significantly increasing in importance.
“There are also trends such as promoting open spaces, sports and leisure facilities close to other public assets such as community centers and halls, shopping areas and cultural districts, as well as building effective public-private partnerships between developers, government and sports clubs.” Sports facilities at schools, the enable shared use in the evenings and weekends.”
To determine the future needs of the Shire, the Better Cities Group reviewed local, state and federal government policies, current trends and existing facilities in the Tweed.
A review of the council's facilities and sports fields took place, as well as extensive engagement activities with key stakeholders, including the Tweed's more than 80 sports clubs.
The engagement process included structured interviews, online surveys, pop-ups and the first Tweed Shire Council Sport and Active Recreation Summit with local residents, sports clubs and associations, elected representatives, state and local government representatives and government sports organisations.
The feedback collected as part of this engagement was incorporated into the development of the draft strategy.
Say your opinion
The community is invited to review the draft Sport and Active Recreation Strategy and submit a contribution by Friday, May 31, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. in one of the following ways:
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online: yoursaytweed.com.au/activerecreation
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Hard copy: Obtain a paper submission form from one of our Council offices and then email it to [email protected] or post it to the General Manager, Tweed Shire Council, PO Box 816, Murwillumbah NSW 2484.
All submissions must include the contributor's name, address, telephone number and email address (optionally marked “confidential”).
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