@leisure Planners

We've been busy over the last two weeks with some exciting site inspections and analyses. The team visited Marrara in the Northern Territory, as well as Cessnock and Central Coast in New South Wales. We got the chance to see some inspiring sporting facilities and open spaces. Our first stop was Darwin, where we are working with Hames Sharley to deliver a Marrara Sports Precinct Master Plan for the Northern Territory Government. It's fantastic to be part of the future growth and development of Darwin's sporting culture through this precinct. https://lnkd.in/gusWxr9G Then we visited Cessnock City Council, for whom we're preparing a Recreation and Open Space Analysis. We've already commenced stakeholder consultation, so this visit allowed us to make important linkages between community feedback and the facilities involved. Finally, we visited 10 facilities in Central Coast Council for our Leisure, Pools, and Recreation Facilities Strategy. It was a great opportunity to see a variety of spaces, ranging from Gosford Olympic Pool to the Peninsula Leisure Centre. Many thanks to Anthony Burling, Phil Cantillon, and Sally Hyslop for their help with facilitating the visit, and their efforts on the project thus far. It's a privilege to visit these sporting facilities, particularly with the lens of helping to make them better for all stakeholders and user groups.

Last month, our principal director Sally Jeavons and Open Space Planner Mary Keyser conducted site visits in Tasmania for our Open Space Network Plan with George Town Council. Both Georgetown and Low Head have some spectacular open spaces and environmental features. We're excited to work with Council to improve the connectivity of their public open spaces. As part of the project, @leisure will conduct a site and gap analysis, as well as a study of current and future demand. The final deliverable is a strategic plan which will guide future open space decisions and priorities for Council. Many thanks to Justin Simons and Tamara Burt at George Town Council for helping to facilitate the visit!

Many thanks to Aquatics & Recreation Victoria for inviting our director and principal planner Sally Jeavons to contribute to the "Unlocking Our Potential" industry consultant panel. It was a great opportunity to discuss industry best practice alongside Brett Diprose from WARREN AND MAHONEY, Kate Maddock from Otium Planning Group, and David Newstead from Mantric Architecture. It's rare to have so many key stakeholders in sport & recreation come together for a conference. The panels and discussions were extremely valuable for staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and perspectives. Another big thank you to Aquatics & Recreation Victoria and Life Saving Victoria for facilitating the event. Knowledge sharing and networking make us all better at our jobs. We'll be at the next one!

The @leisure team have had an exceptional start to the new financial year, winning two new exciting projects. Many thanks to Adrian Dixon and Paul Pagliaro for their tireless work in securing these contracts.  First is Cessnock City Council with their Recreation and Open Space Analysis. We’ll be updating and future-proofing their Strategic Plan, ensuring it accounts for their anticipated population growth, as well as changing trends in open space design. We will undertake a demand analysis, a community engagement process, and finally a detailed gap analysis of their existing public open space. Next is Central Coast Council with their Pools and Recreation Facilities Strategy. We’ll be developing a long-term plan for Council’s leisure offerings. This will involve an in-depth assessment of current facilities and recommendations for renewal and redevelopment. Our hardworking team are committed to providing our clients and stakeholders with invaluable insights through a 360-degree lens. Please reach out for an initial discussion about your upcoming recreation, open space, and leisure projects going into the end of the year. 

@leisure Planners are working alongside the Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley to prepare a Recreation and Events Strategy. This gave our director Sally Jeavons and senior planner Michael Graham an opportunity to visit Kununurra and Wyndham in regional Western Australia a couple of weeks ago. We conducted numerous site visits on sport and recreation facilities, as well as participating in Council workshops and consulting with key stakeholders. It was amazing to meet with the local community and learn more about their distinctive and resilient sporting culture. The Shire is a popular destination for tourism and events, laying claim to breathtaking lakes, rivers and national parks. These natural advantages create unique opportunities to improve sport, recreation and event outcomes. A big thank you to the Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley for facilitating the visit, in particular Nick Allen, Marlene Renton and Kaylee Halse. We're very excited to continue our work on the strategy.

It was fantastic to deliver the Yarrawonga Showgrounds and Victoria Park Master Plan alongside 106 Architects for Moira Shire Council in 2022. Thanks Dion Gosling OLY - Principal Architect, we loved working with you to determine the best priorities for this precinct. Our team went through a detailed process of stakeholder consultation, site analysis and implementation planning to ensure that the plan caters for a diverse range of users and community groups.