Narrabri Shire Council has unanimously adopted the draft Narrabri Sports and Tourism Precinct Masterplan.
The precinct, behind The Crossing Theatre, will consist of a large playground with accessibility equipment, links to retail outlets, public toilets, change room facilities and access to the Narrabri central business district.
The draft masterplan was put on public exhibition in February, with the council receiving five submissions.
The masterplan has been in the development stages since 2019 and has included community consultation sessions to obtain community feedback.
“During the development of the masterplan consideration has also been given to the Narrabri Sport, Recreation and Open Space Plan, Disability Inclusion Access Plan (DIAP), and the Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan (PAMP)” a council spokesperson said.
“The precinct is about creating a community asset that can be used for entertainment events and outdoor passive recreation as well as a making it a ‘must-stop destination’ for tourists travelling through Narrabri Shire,” mayor Ron Campbell said.
“The precinct location is on the busy Newell Highway and has direct and easy access to the Narrabri CBD.
“This certainly is a project that has the potential to provide the community and local businesses with benefits that would not be possible without this precinct.”
General manager, Stewart Todd, said the adoption of the masterplan was council’s ‘unreserved commitment to the project’.
“This commitment to the masterplan opens several doors to a wider range of funding assistance through federal and state government grant funding initiatives.
“We hope to direct the Santos Narrabri gas project VPA contribution toward the masterplan with these additional funding opportunities and deliver the plan as soon as possible.
“There is still a lot of work to be done before construction will start.
“Council staff will now start detailed designs for a number of the stages of the masterplan which will enable delivery in a pragmatic, and if needed, staged approach.
“Council has a razor-sharp focus on providing our current Narrabri Shire community and our future residents a wonderful ‘lifestyle proposition’,” Mr Todd said.
“This masterplan lays the foundation to deliver on that goal.”
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