Sport and community together

Dreams of turning Browns Bay’s Freyberg Park into a destination for ‘‘diverse activities for a great diversity of people’’ are moving closer to reality, according to the group behind the transformation project.

Badminton North Harbour, Bowls North Harbour, Browns Bay Bowling Club, Browns Bay Racquets Club, East Coast Bays RSA and North Harbour Volleyball are banding together with the aim of establishing and building a community and recreational facilities hub at the park.

Browns Bay Bowling Club chairman Tim Preston says a shortage of community space and a changing sporting landscape are motivators behind the project, which is still in the conceptual stage. The group’s vision is to provide a variety of indoor and outdoor facilities that can be used year-round and to cluster community facilities, such as libraries and halls, with recreational facilities.

Preston welcomes other organisations and community groups to join the project. ‘‘None of us on our own are as strong as if we get together,’’ he says.

Upper Harbour and Hibiscus and Bays local boards have funded a feasibility study and needs assessment. Preston says a high-level blueprint for the project, which could be a collaboration between the public and private sectors, will be available by the end of the year.

PHOTO: ZIZI SPARKS/ FAIRFAX NZ Freyberg Park in Browns Bay could become a hub for sport and community facilities.