Woodstock Runners – “Spaces to Play Campaign – Bays Precinct”

President Woodstock Runners

Subject: Fwd: SPACES TO PLAY CAMPAIGN – BAYS PRECINCT

Dear Sporting Club Executive Committees,

       SPACES TO PLAY CAMPAIGN 

Over the next 8 weeks, we would like to invite all Leichhart Municipality clubs to join a Spaces to Play campaign to ensure there are new sporting facilities in the multi-billion dollar Bays Precinct project.

The Bays Precinct project for White Bay, Rozelle rail yards and adjacent areas may see another 16,000 new dwellings and another 32,000 people in our area.

To put this 32,000 new residents in perspective, there are currently 57,000 residents in the Leichhardt Municipality (Balmain, Rozelle,Lilyfield, Leichhardt, Annandale).

So the State Government is adding just over half the population again to our local area – and that is before already proposed or commenced new housing projects in the inner-west.

We are short of  sporting fields and facilities now as many of you know as more children and adults pursue sporting activities for fitness and well being.

Leichhardt Council and Councillors are doing their best, such as re-activating the Glover Street and Balmain Road fields in 2013. But population projections even before the proposed Bays Precinct housing showed our shortages were growing.

The State Government – and UrbanGrowth NSW  – have declined for three years to consult with any local clubs or our State Bodies on Bays Precinct.

We strongly suspect the State Government has made a high level decision on what will go in Bays Precinct.

And the required sporting fields for another 32,000 residents will not be there.

But this will be kept quiet until after the March 28 State election.

Over the past 3 weeks, some of your fellow clubs decided to see if a Sporting Alliance could be formed to campaign for Active recreational space in the Bays Precinct for every sport and codes.

So we have started going around seeking support of all local clubs and importantly approaching State Associations.

The Spaces to Play campaign will seek to convince Premier Mike Baird to guarantee of at least 10 new sporting fields – and other facilities for netball, basketball and other sports – in Bays Precinct.

We do not see why the Premier cannot guarantee that a core Planning Principle for Bays Precinct will be a minimum number of fields and facilities based on the proposed 32,000 new residents.

Even if the final housing plan is 20,000 new residents, the need for sporting fields and associated infrastructure is the same as the population on of the inner-west was growing anyway.

We need your support, so ask you to join the fellow local clubs that have signed up in the past week and attend the campaign launch this Saturday:

Spaces to Play launch

3.45pm, Sydney Secondary Campus, Balmain.

Terry Street, Rozelle.

Unless the sporting community committees and their members  and their family and friends – take action for everyone, there will not be Spaces to Play for children and adults in the inner-west for future generations.

Here is the link to the first media coverage of the Spaces to Play campaign, click on it or copy and paste in your browser to look at it :

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/state-election-campaign-to-make-sport-a-top-priority-in-crucial-bays-precinct-development/story-e6freuy9-1227208137728

There will be  a range of activities planned to encourage the State Government listen to us.

We hope you are willing to join the campaign and assist is activities such as:

1. Telling your members about the campaign and seeking their support.

2.  Club President message to members asking for their assistance, and to get the families and friends involved.

 3. Promote the Spaces to Play sites to your members and ask them to share them among their family and friends.

4. There is a Facebook page SPACES TO PLAY. We are seeking people to join and ‘like’ it and share the articles/links.

5. There is a spacestoplay.com.au web site set up. It will have articles and other information.

6. We will ask you all to put your club names to a Letter to the Premier and key Ministers and State election candidates in  a few weeks time.

7. Seek support from your State Association. FootballNSW have already enlisted NetballNSW and Athletics NSW. There are wider sporting infrastructure matters across NSW and the inner-west is part of many Associations strategic plans.

This campaign has been put together at very short notice, but we will have the opportunity to discuss it as a group at the next Council Pitch Partnership update.

Please contact Glenn Burge (bfecpres@gmail.com, Mobile:0408 700 529 ) or one of the other local club executives listed below for further information.

We look forward to any of your Committees (and members)  being available on Saturday to attend the launch.

Regards

Glenn Burge

Balmain DFC

Liza Schaeper

Leichhardt Saints (0414 840 263)

Terrence Kelly

Balmain South Sydney Cricket (0404 877 667)

David Murphy

Balmain Little Athletics (0417 521010

Balmain Junior Rugby Union

Hamish Collins