Table 13 Values of community land in Canada Bay and of Concord Oval

The community of Canada Bay places a high value on sportsgrounds, community facilities and parks which are an integral part of the area in which they live.

The values outlined below reflect the outcomes from the community engagement process that informed the redevelopment of Concord Oval.

Table 13 Values of community land in Canada Bay and of Concord Oval

Value

Value statement for community land in Canada Bay (1) Values of Concord Oval

Access The community places a high value on inclusive access to community land and recreational opportunities. There is a desire for a network of local paths to link with the foreshore walks.

Aesthetics The community values community land as attractive places to visit and view, providing a sense of place, and character for nearby neighbourhoods.

Maintenance The community values community land that is well maintained.

Recreation The community values the wide range of quality recreation and leisure opportunities offered on community land. There is a desire for park facilities and linkages to walking and bike tracks.

Culture and well-being

The community values community land as places to promote good health, and as venues for cultural activities, events and festivals. The sporting facilities of the oval and surrounding spaces provide a sense of space, openness and freedom of movement to walk, run and exercise, leading to a sense of well-being. Concord Oval provides relief from the ‘hustle and bustle’ of urban living. Concord Oval reflects the sporting culture of the suburb of Concord and of the Canada Bay local government area.

Concord Oval is centrally located in Sydney and accessible for sporting and recreation activities. It is close to Parramatta Road and the M4 Motorway, Burwood Town Centre and is well serviced by public transport. Concord Oval is linked by walking and cycling paths to nearby open space and residential and commercial areas. The precinct is accessible by people of all abilities. Use of some parts of the buildings and the oval at times are restricted according to use agreements. Concord Oval is available to the general public, when not in use for organised sports.

The open space and plantings of Concord Oval pleasantly contrasts with the houses, buildings and traffic associated with the adjoining urban environment. Trees, shrubs, grass and landscaping are appreciated because they create a visually pleasing environment, provide shade, and screen buildings and development. The buildings are visual features and landmarks viewed from adjoining roads.

Clean and well-maintained facilities and areas in Concord Oval are important to the people who use them. Maintenance of a quality playing surface is important to the sporting groups that use it.

Concord Oval has a focus on catering for firstclass field and community recreation. Community use of the precinct for informal outdoor recreation is provided for.

Value

Value statement for community land in Canada Bay (1)

Ecology The community values the natural environment, and there is a strong desire to rehabilitate natural areas. Trees are highly valued, and there is a general view that more trees be planted, but not at the expense of local views. Valued ecological features are mature trees on edges of the precinct, and water harvesting and recycling initiatives.

Social Parks are valued as places for people to meet. Well maintained, non-threatening parks are appreciated as venues for family gatherings. Residents like to share time with their family and friends and meet others in their local community with similar interests, outdoors in a pleasant and secure environment. New community facilities at Concord Oval offer social and community gathering opportunities. People involved in sporting activities value the social aspect of sport.

Partnerships The community values an ability to have a say and be involved in the future of community land.

Cultural heritage

Some parks are valued as places containing visual and social links to earlier times. There is a community desire to identify, conserve and interpret areas of heritage significance. The community appreciate being consulted in the process of commenting on proposals and planning the precinct. Partnerships with sporting groups facilitate the development of sporting facilities for the benefit of sporting players and spectators.

The Aboriginal Cultural Assessment identified cultural significance related to the creeks that were previously in the subject site. The creeks would have been used by Aboriginal elders in the past and were a “source of water and other resources, once a rich environment.” Archaeological excavations uncovered multiple stone artefacts during the Section 140 excavations and subsequent test excavations. All artefacts were found in a secondary position and not in situ. The Concord area continues to be inhabited by Aboriginal peoples with a strong connection to country. Concord Oval has a rich post-settlement heritage, with direct links to an early convict stockade and government farm in the late 1700s, and dedication as Public Park in the late 1800s, and sporting activities occurring for over 100 years.

Education Some parks are valued as places for learning about the ecology and history of the area. The link with Aboriginal culture, early settlement days, water sensitive urban design, and sporting use are valuable themes that serve an educational function in an outdoor classroom.

Notes: (1) Generic Plan of Management (City of Canada Bay, 2007).

4.3 Vision and management objectives for Concord Oval

4.3.1 Vision

Concord Oval will be managed according to the principles of Crown land management embodied in the Crown Land Management Act 2016 which are: (a) that environmental protection principles be observed in relation to the management and administration of Crown land, and (b) that the natural resources of Crown land (including water, soil, flora, fauna and scenic quality) be conserved wherever possible, and (c) that public use and enjoyment of appropriate Crown land be encouraged, and (d) that, where appropriate, multiple use of Crown land be encouraged, and (e) that, where appropriate, Crown land should be used and managed in such a way that both the land and its resources are sustained in perpetuity, and (f) that Crown land be occupied, used, sold, leased, licensed or otherwise dealt with in the best interests of the State consistent with the above principles.

4.3.3 Core objectives for categories of community and Crown land

Concord Oval is categorised as Sportsground, Park and General Community Use as shown in Figure 7.

Concord Oval will be managed according to the core objectives under the Local Government Act 1993 for each relevant category for Crown and community land as set out below.

Sportsground

The core objectives for community land categorised as Sportsground are to:  encourage, promote and facilitate recreational pursuits in the community involving organised and informal sporting activities and games.  ensure that such activities are managed having regard to any adverse impact on nearby residences.

Park

The core objectives for community land categorised as Park are to:  encourage, promote and facilitate recreational, cultural, social and educational pastimes and activities  provide for passive recreational activities or pastimes and for the casual playing of games  improve the land in such a way as to promote and facilitate its use to achieve the other core objectives for its management.

General Community Use

The core objectives for community land categorised as General Community Use are to:  promote, encourage and provide for the use of the land, and to provide facilities on the land, to meet the current and future needs of the local community and of the wider public in relation to: - public recreation and the physical, cultural, social and intellectual welfare or development of individual members of the public. - purposes for which a lease, licence or other estate may be granted in respect of the land (other than the provision of public utilities and works associated with or ancillary to public utilities).