Upgraded venue ready for kick-off
A FAR Northern sporting oval, transformed over the past six years from an empty space to a shaded multipurpose sporting precinct, is due to open this month.
Cook Shire Council signed off on a master plan to develop the Lakeland Recreational Park into a sporting reserve at February’s meeting.
The council and the Lakeland Progress Association began working on the park in 2014.
Works so far included fencing, clearing and levelling of a sports oval, irrigation and grassing and installation of football goals. In 2018, the council and the LPA engaged contractors to develop a longterm master plan for the site.
LPA secretary Stefanie O’Kane said future development of the Lakeland Recreational Park would be focused on catering for the community, while also ensuring larger sports competitions and events could be run at the venue.
“Our community has a clear vision for the site and we see it being something the locals can use every day for fitness and fun,” she said.
“People are already using the site and we would like to see that grow with weekly sports ... and the like.
“The parking, amenities and shaded areas are designed to cater for both locals and visitors and would hopefully attract larger events to the area such as rugby league carnivals and cricket matches.”
Cook Shire Council community, economy and innovation director Lawrence Booth said consultation around the master plan had been extensive.
“The contractors consulted with the Lakeland community and council, including holding several site visits and in-person consultations at the Lakeland Progress Association meetings and the Lakeland school,” he said.
“The master plan outlines a staged approach to meet the community’s needs and also takes into consideration the ability of council and the LPA to secure funding for that development. This is a great example of council and a community association collaborating to achieve outcomes for the benefit of the community.”
The Lakeland Recreational Park will be officially opened at an event on March 21.