Glenorchy City Council Acting Mayor Sue Hickey today said the State Government needed to immediately get to work on delivering a promised indoor multi-sport facility for Glenorchy following the decision by the Jack Jumpers to relocate a high-performance training centre to Kingston.
Acting Mayor Hickey said while Council was disappointed in the decision to relocate the high-performance facility, the indoor multi-sport facility needed to now be pursued as a priority.
“These community courts – without a high-performance facility – were promised to Glenorchy by the State Government at the 2018 election.
“It is regrettable that toing and froing over a high-performance training centre has seemingly overshadowed the delivery of sports infrastructure that gives our young people recreational opportunities.
“We can’t claim to be genuinely focused on the future of sport, or young people, if we’re only worried about elite training facilities without also investing in just giving kids somewhere to play.
“Adding the high-performance facility to the community courts only to later yank it away should in no way be allowed to stall the construction of courts for the community any longer.”
Acting Mayor Hickey said Council was open to discussing another location within Glenorchy if Wilkinsons Point was no longer the preferred site.
“The facility must go ahead, and it must go ahead in Glenorchy – that is what the Government committed to, and that is what it must deliver.”
Acting Mayor Hickey said the development application for the Wilkinsons Point this was lodged by the State Government in the middle of last year.
“Council has been assessing the application in accordance with the Tasmanian planning scheme and had no contact regarding the application from the State Government since January.
“It is Council’s understanding that the project was facing cost issues, and that associated works required to ensure the facility met the planning scheme, particularly around car parking, road and intersection upgrades due to increase traffic and the provision of other essential infrastructure such as power, water and sewer had not been adequately budgeted for.
“The Glenorchy community needs places for its young people to play sport. Council urges the State Government to deliver the indoor multi-sport facility as a priority,” she said.