In May 2022, the Central Otago District Council undertook an assessment of the current and future demand for sports fields in Cromwell. The aim of the study was to increase understanding of the sporting and recreational needs of the Cromwell community.
The Central Otago district is predicted to grow considerably in the next 20 years and population growth is a key driver of increased demand for sports.
The Cromwell Racecourse Reserve was identified as a strong candidate for the development of a regional hub for sports fields, due to its size and central location. The racecourse reserve is managed under a lease agreement with the Central Lakes Equestrian Club, which acts as the primary governance and operational body.
Community board chairwoman Anna Harrison said one of the reasons for splitting the meeting was to allow board members the time to digest and understand the submissions and the 843-word report before a deliberation meeting next week.
A lot of the submissions were from members of the equestrian community, key stakeholders in the use of the racecourse reserve, she said.
The concerns of the equestrian community were centered on the planned mixed use of the site, and ensuring equestrian users and horses grazing on paddocks nearby were safe.
The majority of submitters at the meeting believed solutions could be found where both ball sports and equestrian activities could co-exist on the site, she said.
A draft plan for the racecourse reserve up for discussion foresees the development of four sports fields at its northern end by 2030. In the long term it would be divided into eight sports fields by 2045 with consolidation of equestrian areas to make room for expanded infrastructure of other sports.
Another concern of the equestrian community was event scheduling. Assurances were sought that there would not be clashes between ball sports and equestrian events, and that work would be done to ensure equestrian users would not be adversely affected by other users.
Mrs Harrison said other groups presented feedback, with some presenting about the plans for Anderson Park as well as the need for indoor facilities.
"A shift to some sports fields on another site has people concerned that maybe the usage of other sports fields in town will be diminished or that those will be used for other purposes."
As both Anderson Park and the Alpha Street Reserve were both reserve land, there was no plan to change the nature of those reserves, she said.
Cromwell Climbing and the Cromwell Netball Club also made submissions about the need for indoor climbing walls and netball courts.
The meeting was a constructive conversation about the public’s concerns but also a general acceptance that Cromwell’s population was growing, she said.
"We need to be thinking about how we continue to have the provision for sports fields available for our growing population."
Deliberations next week would mean further progress but not the finalisation of the draft as there was still planning and work to be done alongside user groups to ensure the board had got things right, she said.
