Big River Park draft master plan released

Cr Sean Black with Logan Village Allsports Inc president, Don Petersen, at the current clubhouse.

THE draft master plan for Big River Country Park has been welcomed by the Logan Village community, with new tennis courts, competition standard sports field lighting and a BMX track just some of the proposed features.

Councillor Sean Black (Division 4) said the aim of the master plan was to provide a 10 to 20 year vision of how Big River Park could be developed, subject to ongoing needs analysis and available funding.

“Through this master plan we are proposing to develop a greater range of sporting and recreational opportunities on the site by making it a more multi-purpose sporting park,” he said.

“I have provided $30,000 of Divisional funding towards the drafting of this master plan and another for Division 4.”

The 10 hectare facility is home to Logan Village Falcon Allsports Inc and Cr Black said the sporting group had recently received funding from the State Government and Logan City Council to develop two tennis courts on the site.

“The Department of Communities has contributed more than $190,000 and council has provided $50,000 for the development of two acrylic-surface tennis courts in the short term,” he said.

“One of the features of the master plan is an ability to expand to four courts in the medium term and up to eight courts in the longer term.”

President of the Logan Village Falcon Allsports Inc, Don Petersen, said the development would provide the community with a hub to meet at.

“At the moment people have to go to either Jimboomba or Beenleigh (to play most club sports),” he said.

Mr Petersen said previous attempts to start a Logan Village netball club had failed because they had nowhere to practice.

“The grass courts will be set up in the next few months,” he said.

Other key elements of the draft master plan include competition and training standard lighting for soccer and touch football fields, clubhouse extensions, formalised and increased onsite car parking and on-street parking along Steele Road, new picnic and recreation facilities in the northern park area, a potential BMX track, fixed irrigation serviced by a deeper, larger, fenced onsite dam to harvest storm water and new seating and fencing around the par.

It will also feature a new toddler play area adjacent to the clubhouse and tennis courts, installation of onsite sewage treatment plant to replace existing pump-out septic tank and increased signage at the northern end of the park.

Cr Black said the draft master plan would be open to public comment and feedback for a four week period.

“This public consultation phase will give people the opportunity to provide their comment and opinions on the future of this community facility,” he said.

“Council will also continue to work with key stakeholders to ensure the finalised master plan provides a facility that will service the needs of the local community in the short, medium and long term.”

The public consultation phase will be from September 13 to October 8, with a “meet the planner” session to take place on September 30, from 6pm to 8pm.