That Council Reinstate the Cricket Pitch and Synthetic Turf to William Stewart Park, Thornlands
Principal Petitioner: Arun Salim
Closing Date: 4:30pm, Tuesday, 13 August 2024
At 10 signatures, this petition will be considered properly made.
Petition Request:
To The Redland City Mayor, City Infrastructure (asset owner), City Operations (asset manager), Civic and Open Space, and Division 3 Councillor. Redland City Council Queensland - 4164 From Redland Royals Brisbane Cricket Club INC IA60012 ABN:83 679 160 817 Dear Sir, Sub: Public interest petition against the removal of cricket pitch from William Stewart Park, Thornlands. Redland Royals Brisbane Cricket Club INC is a non-profit registered softball cricket club running successfully for the last 6 years in Brisbane and surrounds, and we were regularly using the William Stewart Park, Cleveland from 2018 onwards. However, the Council has decided to remove the cricket pitch permanently. Since August 2022, we (our club) has notified the Council about multiple episodes of willful destruction of ground/equipment, vandalism that were happening at the William Stewart Park. As a result, the cricket pitch/ground was left unusable and it remained that way for months. There was no initiative from the local body to get the much used ground back in shape for the public. The Redlands local newspaper reported all these incidents as well.. Subsequently, we have contacted the council requesting some repair works on the pitch. However, the Council advised that 'Vandalism is at its peak point' and it was not a good time to redo the cricket pitch, and they advised that the club needed to wait. Also, the Council removed the synthetic turf from there and advised us to temporarily move to GJ Walter Park, Cleveland. Later on, when 'Council Permit Club' showed interest to install new artificial turf on that pitch (concrete), the city Council didn't encourage that saying it can be done by 'council approved' contractors only. On top of that, the club was not in position to afford the massive $5000.00 expense (as per city council), it being a Non-for-profit organization. From the city council, we came to know that the decision to remove the cricket pitch was made collaboratively by officers from City Infrastructure (Asset owner) and City Operations (Asset manager). And the increasing maintenance costs were getting unsustainable for that to be continued. We had to then approach our Division 3 Councillor, Paul Golle regarding the matter. He was happy to contribute within his powers to deal with this issue alongside the Civic and Open Space Councillor, but they did not accept that offer unfortunately. So, we're back to square one at that stage. As you might be aware, the synthetic turf on the pitch, along with several other park infrastructures, suffered significant damages due to vandalism. This included the cricket nets, skate park shade sail, and public amenities. Eventually the turf on the pitch was removed, so that it doesn't need to be repaired any more'. In May 2023, further damage was inflicted on the concrete slab of the cricket pitch. Fortunately, a contractor who was already on-site for skate park repairs and they were able to address this damage straight away and do a temporary fix then and nothing was done on it since. Vandalism happens occasionally in most of the Redlands suburbs the same way it does in any other place. But, if the council starts removing or stops repairing the existing public assets/infrastructure/facilities to fight against vandalism, our parks will soon end up as just grasslands. Also, I would like to bring your attention to one of the expenses listed for our collected rates amount. On the Rates Notice of Redland City Council Rate Notice, it is mentioned that $100 of your rates enables the Council to deliver a range of services, in that $13: Managing and maintaining open spaces, including pathways, parks and conservation areas, sports fields, and marine and foreshore protection. Further, on the 2024-2025 Budget, it was given : '46423 Footpath expansions—William Stewart Park, Thornlands Installation of a 1.5-meter-wide concrete footpath section to connect existing footpaths at William Stewart Park, Thornlands. Construction'. So my question is - if the Council cannot keep the existing infrastructure, what is the point of adding additional services to the park and collecting money on that note? Most of our cricket club members are local (Cleveland and Thornlands residents). We all were relying on this only cricket ground in the area, which has now disappeared. Australia has one of the top cricket teams in the world and it is very disappointing to see the local councils not showing any support to the people in the area to play/train cricket. I/we hereby respectfully request all residents of Redlands to sign this petition (to the respected Council Mayor, City Infrastructure, City Operations, Civic & Open Space, and Division 3 Councillor) to help us to bring back the cricket pitch in our William Stewart park. Thank you. Team Redland Royals Brisbane.
Petition Outcome:
The petition was presented by Cr Paul Golle at the General Meeting held on Wednesday, 21 August 2024. The matter was defined as operational in nature and referred to the Chief Executive Officer for consideration.
Council investigated the petition request and provided a response to the Principal Petitioner on 6 September 2024 as follows:
Council has investigated the petition request and provides the following response to you as the Principal Petitioner, with the following considerations and information.
William Stewart Park is a popular community park offering a range of infrastructure and activities for park users of different ages, interests, and abilities. The importance of community spaces for sport and recreation is highly valued through strategic planning, reviewing and analysing how infrastructure can best support health and wellbeing for our community.
Unfortunately, this popular park has experienced several vandalism incidents in the recent years, resulting in costly maintenance repairs to infrastructure including the targeted vandalism to the cricket pitch. Council has been actively working with the Police, residents and community enterprises to discourage and reduce future instances of damage and poor behaviour. The persistence of antisocial behaviour and vandalism in this location has also required Council to consider alternative treatments for assets, which in this instance resulted in the removal of the cricket pitch.
Additionally, due to the increasing popularity of William Stewart Park, and the existing classification as a community park, it has been determined that club structured sports/activities/matches are not suitable for this location. This decision is to manage safety and possible risks associated with conflict alongside other activities and community uses occurring.
Council’s planning for cricket facilities is in alignment with Queensland Cricket Infrastructure Strategy 2023-2028, which promotes shared facility use, creating flexible community venues and providing infrastructure that is practical and aligns with local resources. Redland City Council boasts fifteen ovals across ten venues specifically for cricket, indicating that cricket is well-serviced in comparison to other sporting codes.
William Stewart Park is identified in Council’s 10-year Capital Plan to enhance and socially activate this park. The consideration for a future cricket pitch will be included in Council’s strategic planning approach to ensure the park meets the diverse needs of the community now and for future generations to come.
Council will be developing a clear vision for this park, and through that process focuses on planning an accessible and cohesive design, taking on board feedback from the community, rather than replacing infrastructure in an ad-hoc manner that potentially could be detrimental to the long-term plan.
Due to the reasons above the reinstatement of the cricket pitch at William Stewart Park is not supported.
This response has been provided to you as the Principal Petitioner and you may choose to notify other persons listed on the petition of the outcome.
We understand this may not be the outcome you were hoping for, however this is Councils considered position following a thorough investigation of the matter. We have now concluded our review and consider the matter closed.
If you wish to pursue the matter further, you can consider lodging an Administrative Action Complaint. Further information on this process can be found on Council’s website. Council is committed to effective complaints management and has established a complaints process in line with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2009.
Thank you for your understanding and interest in Council’s parks and open spaces.