Sportsground Lighting Upgrade Project
2017/18
Background
Our 2017 Northern Beaches Sportsgrounds Strategy includes a 15 year plan for developing sportsgrounds and facilities so community needs for more fields and new and improved facilities are met.
Key strategic priorities include:
- Upgrading existing sportsfield lighting to required standards, ensuring a consistent quality of lighting across all sportsgrounds.
- Provision of new lighting on sportsfields without lights, to increase the hours fields are available for sport.
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions below for further information.
Updates
Document library
Document library
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Sportsgrounds Strategy July 2017PDF (11.99 MB)
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Sportsgrounds Strategic Directions Analysis July 2017PDF (1.02 MB)
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Tristram Reserve proposed lighting design - Feb 2018PDF (544.53 KB)
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Superseded - Tristram Reserve proposed lighting design - Revised 20 Feb 2018PDF (992.12 KB)
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Superseded - Tristram Reserve proposed lighting design compliance report - 20 Feb 2018PDF (364.42 KB)
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New - Tristram Reserve proposed Philips lamp leaflet - 20 Feb 2018PDF (2.50 MB)
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New - Tristram Reserve proposed lighting design - Revised 7 March 2018PDF (1.27 MB)
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New - Tristram Reserve proposed lighting design compliance report - 7 March 2018PDF (456.83 KB)
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Q&A Tristram Reserve Lighting Beacon Hill Primary School Meeting - Department of Education - 14 March 2018MS Word (27.42 KB)
FAQ
FAQ
- What are the Australian Standards and why does Council use them?
The Australian Standards prescribe how to achieve consistent quality and effectiveness of sportsfield lighting systems. Considerations include, the type of sport, the safety of players, and limits for obtrusive light spill on neighbouring properties .
- Why have these particular sites been given priority at this time?
- The Sportsground Strategy 15-year plan includes lighting projects at sportsgrounds across the Northern Beaches. Sites were identified in consultation with sports groups and the projects will be delivered as funding and the relevant approvals are obtained. The sites selected for these lighting upgrades are identified in the Sportsgrounds Strategy 15-year plan, which you can read on our website by clicking on these links:
- How are the upgrades being funded?
Funding for these works is from Council’s 2017/2018 Capex program and contributions from Manly Warringah Football Association.
- UPDATED - What is the timeframe for the upgrades? / When will the lights be ready to use?
Construction activities will commence in March with completion expected by June for the following sites:
- Forestville Park
- LM Graham Reserve, North Narrabeen
- Old Reub Hudson Sportsfield
- St Matthews Farm Sportsground; and
- Dee Why Oval
Construction on the proposed lights at Tristram Reserve is pending based on community engagement.- Will this project impact on sport?
- The new lighting at Tristram Reserve will increase the hours this reserve is available for sports to conduct training and competitions. Field irrigation and drainage is also planned to ensure the playing surface can cope with the expected increase in use.The old lighting systems will be operational until the new lights are commissioned. There should be minimal disruption the the sporting user groups.The lighting upgrades at Forestville Park, LM Graham, North Narrabeen Reserve, Old Reub Hudson and at St Matthews Farm will ensure required standard are met and there is a consistent quality of lighting and provide training and competition options. At Forestville Park, the upgrade also includes lighting mini-fields, increasing the area available for training.
- Will there be additional costs to sporting groups using the lights?
- Council’s sportsfield lighting fees are based on the amount of power lights require and a contribution to maintenance based on the type of lighting infrastructure.Following completion of this project sports groups and other users will be able to choose training or competition lighting. Training lighting requires less power and so will have a lower fee than competition lighting which requires more power. Competition lighting fees may be higher than existing fees (at the five upgrade sites) where this level of lighting is not currently available.Sports groups and other users will also be able to turn lights on and off via a mobile phone and will only be charged for the time lights are on.The amount payable by users is dependent of the length of time lights are on, whether training or competition lighting is used and the fee applicable.Lighting fees are reviewed and set annually through Council’s usual budget process.Fees vary across Council’s sportsgrounds as the type of lighting infrastructure installed has differed over the many years that lights have been developed.
- Who will turn them on and off again, so they are not left on all night?
- Sports groups and other users will also be able to turn lights on and off via a mobile phone.In case a user forgets to turn lights off, all sportsgrounds lights are set by Council to turn off by 9.30pm.
- Updated - Is there a lighting plan for Tristram Reserve?
Yes, see attached plan.
- New at 22 Feb - Can we extend the map and send more letters out to residents e.g. Red Hill
- Sending letters to a broader catchment surrounding the sportsground is not considered necessary because light spill from the proposal will have no impact and nor would any perceived traffic impacts.Engagement with the broader northern beaches community has been achieved through a public notice on Council’s ‘Have Your Say’ webpage, as well as several notices the Saturday Manly Daily, and Council’s community engagement email, which is sent to over 17,000 people, has featured this project every fortnight since community engagement began and will continue until engagement is completed.The community engagement period for the Tristram Road Reserve Lighting project has been extended to 25 March 2018.
- New at 22 Feb - How will they assess traffic in the REF for the Lighting at Tristram Road Reserve?
The Consultants working on the REF for the lighting will examine the potential impact of traffic during sportsground use against the capacity of the network to handle the load.
- New at 22 Feb - What can Council do to stop illegal parking in the roads surrounding Tristram Road Reserve?
- Council could investigate lighting and line marking in the streets surrounding the reserve, but that would be a separate project and would be completed independently of the lighting upgrade.Residents concerned about their driveways could consider an application for ‘driveway delineation lines’.
- New at 22 Feb - Could Council install better signage from Ben Love Place to the car park?
Council will investigate the installation of better way finding signage, along with the need for any ‘stop’ or ‘give way’ signs in this area.
- New at 22 Feb - How long will the lights be on for?
- The current proposal is to have the reserve allocated for use until 9pm with the lights being turned off automatically at 9.30pm.The lights will only switch on if there is an approved booking or sports allocation for the reserve.
- New at 22 Feb - What days will the lights be on?
Council anticipates that the lights will be in use at the reserve up to six nights each week. The lights will not operate on Sunday night.
- New at 22 Feb - Why is lighting at Tristram Road Reserve being 'fast tracked'?
- Tristram Road Reserve lighting is not being 'fast tracked'.The project was identified as a high priority to be delivered in the first stage of the implementation of the Sportsground Strategy.Tristram Road Reserve has been included in the program of works for 2017/18 because funding to undertake the project is available this financial year.
- New at 22 Feb - Can the lights in the car park have a curfew to deter anti-social behaviour?
- The lights in the carpark are streetlights on a separate grid to the proposed sportsground lights.Council will seek advice from the Northern Beaches Police Local Area Command as to whether the car park lights could be better managed by being connected to Council’s Sportsfield Lighting Control System.
- New at 22 Feb - If the lights are being built to help with sporting numbers, why don't the sporting clubs cap the number of members they are allowed to help with allocations and usage?
Council is committed to providing opportunities for healthy active lifestyle to combat social isolation and childhood obesity. Capping numbers of people who can participate in sport is inconsistent with this objective.
- New at 22 Feb - Are all the fields being used to their capacity, what are the numbers?
- The sportsgrounds are managed on the basis of 35 hours of use per week, which is the highest sustainable use for a natural turf field per week.Installing lights is the most cost effective way of unlocking the inherent capacity in sportsground that are not achieving this number.
- New at 22 Feb - What financial benefit does Council derive from installing lights at Tristram Road Reserve?
- Council will gain no financial benefit from the lighting on Tristram Road Reserve.The lighting will cost Council approximately $10,500 per annum in depreciation and maintenance costs.The benefit to Council is the ability for the sportsground to achieve its capacity targets and keep more people engaged in sport.Partnerships with user groups and Grant bodies help Council and ratepayers to fund the actions in the sportsground strategy.
- New at 22 Feb - If these lights are approved after the consultation period, under what legislation can the residents stop the lights from being installed?
There would no legislation control on stopping lighting if the REF determines that the development is acceptable. The avenue to stop the lighting would be to get Council to resolve not to proceed with the project.
- New at 22 Feb - What issues have residents identified for consideration in the Review of Environmental Factors?
- Residents living in the immediate vicinity of the oval have asked for the consultant preparing the REF for the lighting to consider the following:
- Noise
- Traffic safety
- Impact on wildlife
