Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sport Reserve Master Plan

Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sport Reserve Master Plan

Part A│DRAFT Master Plan │April 2013

Contents page (word version only)
Executive Summary 4

Project purpose, vision and objectives 5

Design Guidelines 6

Reserve Landscape Plan & Building Concept Design7

Cost Summary10

Action and Implementation 11

Attachment 1 – Priority Action List12

Attachment 2 – Summary of action and financial priorities15

About this document

The Master Plan for the Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve is delivered in two parts.

Part A – The Master Plan

Provides a summary of Master Plan objectives, planning and design principles, site plan and building concepts, and key recommendations and actions for delivery of proposed reserve infrastructure.

Part B – Background, research and consultation findings

Provides a detailed project and local sporting context analysis, full document review, reserve location and site assessment, key stakeholder consultation program and findings, and all background information and research collected during the development of the Master Plan.

DRAFT Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports
Reserve Master Plan

Copyright  2013 by insideEDGE Sport and Leisure Planning

The DRAFT Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve Master Plan was prepared by insideEDGE Sport and Leisure Planning (insideEDGE) (2013) on behalf of the City of Greater Geelong.

This publication is Copyright. No part may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted by any process of by any form except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

The information contained within this report is intended for the specific use of the within named party to which it is addressed (“the insideEDGE client”) only. All information and recommendations by insideEDGE are based on information provided by or on behalf of the insideEDGE client and insideEDGE has relied on such information being correct at the time this report was prepared.

THE MASTER PLAN

Executive Summary

The East Precinct District Sports Reserve Master Plan was commissioned by the City of Greater Geelong (COGG) to provide clear direction for the construction of sporting infrastructure at the first sporting reserve in Armstrong Creek and to ensure that planning meets the needs of the first Armstrong Creek community.

The East Precinct is the first of seven precincts to be developed across Armstrong Creek, which at full build out will reach a population of over 60,000 residents and accommodate 22,000 dwellings. With homes currently being constructed and more land being released for sale it will be critical for Council to keep pace with the growing population and provide key sporting infrastructure to promote and encourage a healthy and active community.

Key sporting infrastructure for the East Precinct District Sports Reserve has been determined through previously completed precinct structure planning.

The Reserve will provide a multipurpose sports pavilion, two multi-use natural turf sports fields with lighting, two netball courts (one combined netball / tennis court), informal social space and playground, cricket practice facilities and associated car parking, landscaping and path network.

One of the key objectives of the Master Plan is to ensure that sporting programs and infrastructure proposed for the East Precinct District Sports Reserve supports the establishment of vibrant and inclusive sporting clubs rather than the relocation of existing sporting clubs into Armstrong Creek facilities.

Council’s Sports Development Plan for Armstrong Creek will help facilitate the establishment and sustainable delivery of sport at the East Precinct District Sports Reserve by identifying the best way(s) to make sport function within the planned infrastructure.

The Sports Development Plan sets the criteria and a framework for the birthing of new sporting clubs and focuses on ensuring the delivery of sport from the outset in order to engage the local community in the establishment of sport and its future growth and development.

The concept of establishing and nurturing new sporting clubs in Armstrong Creek is also supported by peak sporting bodies, leagues and associations responsible for delivering the five most popular outdoor sports in Geelong – AFL, Netball, Cricket, Tennis and Soccer. Local sports leaders and administrators were consulted on the development of the Master Plan and provided advice on local sporting trends and opportunities in order to help shape the layout and design of key sporting infrastructure.

The East Precinct District Sports Reserve is located opposite a planned education precinct, containing a Prep to Year 12 and a specialist school that will cater for over 1,000 students. The close proximity of the school provides an opportunity for the City of Greater Geelong and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) to work collaboratively on the provision of shared community infrastructure that meets the needs of the local community.

A set of facility development and design principles has been agreed between COGG and DEECD that identify opportunities for the future development of both sites in order to offer broad community access, shared use and complimentary infrastructure.

The implementation plan for proposed works is based on COGG first securing the site under the ownership of Council. It is then recommended that Council adopt a staged plan that matches the available budget for development and delivers key reserve infrastructure that is safe, functional and useable. The current budget is connected to a Development Contributions Plan.

Building work at the East Precinct District Sports Reserve will be funded through a number of key stakeholders and funding providers, including COGG, the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) and the Developers, through the Development Contribution Plan (DCP). The current budget for development is $7.177m including $500,000 from DPCD and the remaining $6.677m from the DCP. This is inclusive of all design work, service connections and contingencies.

The total estimated cost of the works proposed in the Master Plan is currently $10.327m, leaving a shortfall of $3.105m between funded and proposed works. The ability to secure additional funding to cover the shortfall will ultimately determine final staging and development of reserve infrastructure.

With the East Precinct District Sports Reserve being the first active sporting reserve to be developed, the standard and timing of facilities will be crucial to the future success of other sports facilities planned across Armstrong Creek.

Purpose

The purpose of the East Precinct District Recreation Reserve Master Plan is to prepare a document that guides the establishment of a vibrant, safe and inclusive environment that promotes club and family friendly settings for social interaction to help to build a strong, resilient and a more active community in Armstrong Creek.

The role of the East Precinct District Sports Reserve will be influenced through the need to support the overall role of the Armstrong Creek Sports Development Plan, which is to provide sport, recreation and community activities, programs and infrastructure in new communities that are vital to providing for the long-term health and social connection of the local community.

The East Precinct District Sports Reserve will provide, as a minimum, the following elements.

• two natural turf sports fields with capacity for shared rectangular pitches.
• outdoor netball courts.
• multi use community pavilion
• car parking, access roads and circulation.
• shared pathways with external trail connections.
• connections to local schools and surrounding residents.

Vision

The vision for the East Precinct District Sports Reserve is:

To provide a shared state of the art sporting precinct to be used
as the blue print for the future development of sporting infrastructure across
Armstrong Creek.

As the first piece of sport and recreation infrastructure in Armstrong Creek, the East Precinct District Sports Reserve will be designed to provide a range of opportunities that encourage participation and support a new community that is healthy, active and well connected.

Objectives

In order to achieve this vision, a number of important objectives will need to be considered by Council and other stakeholders to drive site development through all facets of operation and capital development.

Key objectives proposed include:

• Develop competition, training and social facilities that meet the long-term requirements of tenant sports / community groups and support sustainable on and off-field club operations.
• Maximise the use and capacity of the Reserve to accommodate year round active and passive use, and contribute positively to establishing and growing local participation in sport and recreation activities.
• Create opportunities to maximise local community participation in club, facility and activity provision and delivery.
• Ensure efficient and effective management practices are delivered by clubs, users, Council, sport and the local community.

Design Principles

The key design principles that have been used to guide the development of the East Precinct District Sports Reserve Master Plan are:

• Promote a sense of place and community for people of all ages and for families.
• Provide popular active and passive spaces that reflect community need.
• Create flexible spaces that encourage shared and multi-purpose use and that are capable of adapting over time.
• Create places that are fit for purpose, safe, useable and can be easily maintained.
• Minimise the overall number of separate buildings provided within the site.
• Utilise environmentally friendly and sustainable design principles for water, energy consumption and building materials.
• Utilise universal design and access principles.
• Consideration of waste management and building servicing requirements.

The design also considers the City of Greater Geelong Sustainability Policy and Infrastructure Development Guidelines, DEECD facility guidelines, Building Code of Australia and relevant Australian Standards, as a minimum.

Design Guidelines and Considerations

The following guidelines and information have been used in the preparation of the East Precinct District Sport Reserve Master Plan, Landscape Plan and Building Concepts for the site.

• Buyer profiles, survey results and the proposed timeframe for development.
• Access and connections to planned open space, schools and other community infrastructure within the East Precinct and the broader Armstrong Creek development area.
• Integration with the neighbourhood and residential character of the Warralilly Estate and documented residential design outcomes.
• The relationship to the Sports Development Plan for Armstrong Creek and the influence on the provision of sport within the East Precinct.
• Recognise the overall budget including the developer contributionsfor public open space and recreation facility provision.
• A shared use multi-purpose sports pavilion that is centrally located between the two sports fields, provides adequate change rooms, administration and social areas to support the key sports of AFL, netball, cricket, soccer, tennis and broader community use (as a minimum).
• Provide shared sports fields that are useable, flexible, sustainable and are safely connected to each other and supporting infrastructure and amenities.
• Consider rules and regulations for sporting competitions and facility design guidelines for pitch / ground size, pitch / ground access, safety, security, access control and floodlighting.
• Achieving minimum facility requirements for all sports at a district level sports facility that supports the growth of new junior clubs and programs rather than the relocation of an existing club.
• Facility and amenity requirements for the provision and possible future expansion of the facilities to accommodate participation growth.
• Reference current facility design, development and project management guidelines and information (including SRV Football / Netball Lighting Guide, Netball Victoria Design Guidelines, Tennis Victoria Facility Planning Guide, AFL Facility Requirements and FFV Facility Guidelines).
• Reference City of Greater Geelong Infrastructure Development Guidelines for Sustainable Communities (2010).

Stakeholder Consultation

A number of state sporting organisations, local sporting leagues and associations, state and local government departments, future residents and land developers were consulted throughout the development of this Master Plan using a variety of consultation methods.

A comprehensive consultation methodology was undertaken to determine stakeholder views and preferences and inform the outcomes of the Master Plan.

A detailed consultation schedule and key findings is provided in Part B of the Master Plan report – background, research and consultation findings.

Proposed Landscape Plan

inside EDGE Sport and Leisure Planning, in conjunction with Landscape Architects ACLA, have developed a landscape plan for the Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve.

The layout and priority actions included in the Landscape Plan have been developed based on a review of current literature and documentation, site considerations, project research and consultation, and the future needs and preferences of Armstrong Creek residents.

Key highlights of the Landscape Plan include the provision of two active playing fields, a multipurpose community sports pavilion, combined netball and tennis courts and informal path network and play spaces. The layout and orientation of key elements and the relationship with the proposed school site opposite the Reserve are designed to maximise community use, and spectator amenity as well as cater for a variety of activities.

The Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve will be the first piece of sport and recreation infrastructure to be developed in Armstrong Creek and will set a benchmark for future sports facilities in the area. The quality and success of facilities and infrastructure provided at the East Precinct District Sports Reserve is critical and will set the scene for future planning, development and management of sports facilities across Armstrong Creek.

Proposed Building Concept Plan

The design of the multipurpose community sports pavilion aims to cater for the needs of a number of sporting and community groups using the facility.

insideEDGE Sport and Leisure Planning and project architect, Studio B, have developed a building concept plan which incorporates the needs of key user groups and encourages external and casual users of the building by providing spaces that are accessible, functional and user friendly.

The building design is in accordance with district level sporting facility guidelines and has capacity for up to six change rooms to accommodate the needs of local sporting clubs and potential shared use by a number of sports at the same time. The design incorporates flexible meeting spaces and a 150m2 function and event space with elevated views of the playing fields.

The proposed building materials are robust and locally accessible and are in accordance with Council’s Sustainable Building Policy and Infrastructure Development Guidelines.

The following sustainable design features have also been considered during the concept design stage to optimise the performance of the building.

• Passive cooling to main social rooms, thermal chimneys drive the natural ventilation system that brings air from the sub floor space which has low level inlets.
• Double glazing to the social room focuses directly towards each of the two ovals. Glazing to the north is limited to control the buildings internal temperature during hot weather.
• Collected stormwater to underground tanks will be used for toilet flushing and may be incorporated into the heating/cooling system using heat exchanger.
• Natural lighting provided to social room, kitchen, public toilets and change rooms (skylights).
• Airlock lobbies are incorporated at the two main access points into the social room and at the external entrances to each of the change rooms.
• Highly insulated composite roof panels and solid concrete floor for building insulation and thermal mass.
• Recycled water to service the pavilion.

Studio B propose the use of insulated transparent polycarbonate sheeting with low solar transmission, vertical shade fins to be recycled hardwood and roofing finish to be selected for low solar absorption.

The Landscape Plan and Building Concept Design for the Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve are provided on the following pages.

Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve │ Architect Impressions

Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve
Street level view of proposed pavilion main entrance
(view from car park)

Armstrong Creek East Precinct District Sports Reserve
Aerial view of proposed pavilion (north view)

Cost Summary

The current available budget for Reserve infrastructure is $7.177m, including $6.67m from the Development Contribution Plan (DCP) and $500,000 from the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) . The DCP amount is subject to incremental increases each year and by 2014 is expected to be approximately $7.4m, resulting in a likely total available budget of $7.9m (in 2014).