Project update - January 2024

We are upgrading the sportsfield at Northern Beaches Secondary College - Cromer Campus to enable the use of the grounds outside of school hours.

The Development Application was approved in May 2023 for the lighting proposal.

Construction on these lights is almost complete, with the project expected to be finalised in mid-February, weather permitting.

Background:

We are upgrading the sportsfield at Northern Beaches Secondary College - Cromer Campus to enable the use of the grounds outside of school hours.

In 2017 the Northern Beaches Sportsground Strategy identified a shortage of sportsfields on the Northern Beaches. In the short term, this shortfall will be met by using existing sportsgrounds more efficiently and by increasing capacity through actions such as installing lights, improving drainage and reconfiguring the fields.

The strategy also identified opportunities to use school sites for community purposes. As a result we have entered into a 10-year licencing agreement with the Department of Education to use the Northern Beaches Secondary College (NBSC) Cromer Campus for community sport.

As part of the agreement we will be improving the sportsfield facilities with the installation of four new light posts for additional evening training and competition opportunities.

The lighting proposal is part of the sportsfield upgrade that will include improvements to drainage, irrigation, new turf, repositioning of the goal posts and installing water fountains.

Feedback on the proposal was invited between 24 June and 24 July 2022. We received 55 comments, generally in support of the proposal.

The feedback collected during consultation indicated a high level of support for the proposal with many comments citing the anticipated benefits of the broader community having access to school sporting grounds.

Some issues were raised in the feedback, including concerns about parking, security, noise, and environmental sustainability.

You can view the community engagement report below.