Selwyn_Times: November 23, 2022

Selwyn Times Wednesday November 23 2022
4
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Sports space plan draws criticism
• By Jaime Cunningham
SPORTING organisations have
expressed concern over the lack
of consultation by the district
council regarding the required
spaces and facilities needed over
the next decade.
The district council’s Draft
Sport, Active Recreation and
Play Spaces and Places Plan
highlights how many facilities
are in the district currently,
along with how many will be
needed in the next decade for
each sport or activity.
Ellesmere
Rugby Sub
Union chairman
Chris Thornley
said there is a
“misconception”
by the council
there are enough
Chris
Thornley
rugby fields in
the district.
He said if
the council doesn’t include
rugby fields in the planned $18.1
million Rolleston district park
development, the council will
“miss a trick.”
Thornley believes a small-scale
outdoor stadium,” something
around 5000 to 10,000” could
potentially be a solution for the
next decade.
“We’re investigating a home
of rugby for Ellesmere rugby, it’s
FACILITIES: The Selwyn Netball Centre is concerned it may not be able to use the courts
at the Selwyn Sports Centre.
our dream to have an oval with
a grandstand and surrounding
fields.”
District council open spaces
and strategy manager Mark
Rykers said a stadium is a possibility
for the district park being
designed in the next year.
“This would recognise the
existing space requirements for
different sports and the likely future
requirements as the district
continues to grow.”
The Selwyn Netball Centre has
had teams play at both indoor
and outdoor venues the past two
years after being given priority to
use the Selwyn Sports Centre.
But netball centre president
Andrea James said there has
been “very little” communication
with the district council over the
future of netball in the district.
After a “lot of hard work”
creating a system for teams to
use the sports centre and Lincoln
Domain courts, the centre has
now been told they may not be
able to use the Selwyn Sports
Centre due to other groups getting
“more equitable access.”
She said
netball has been
the biggest user
of the Selwyn
Sports Centre
since it opened
last year, with
netball using
the facilities
up to six days
a week, year
round.
Andrea
James
James said there was a “belief”
by the district council that eight
indoor courts would be enough
for the netball centre to completely
move their competitions
indoor, when they were previously
struggling to fit all Saturday
teams on the 12 outdoor
courts at Lincoln Domain.
Rykers said the plan has
signalled “the need to do some
further planning/investigations”
to enable the district council to
make further investment decisions
in sport and recreation
facilities.
However, James highlighted
the district council needs to address
the identified “communication
gap” between them and
sports clubs.
“It’s very difficult, they hold a
lot of power.”
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