Mackay Park Plan of Management on public exhibition

Eurobodalla Council is seeking community feedback on a draft Plan of Management for Batemans Bay’s Mackay Park.

Council is required under the Local Government Act 1993 to prepare Plans of Management for its community land. The draft plan outlines how Mackay Park can be used, developed and managed, how leases and licences or other interests are granted, and determines the scale and intensity of development.

It proposes to re-categorise the land from ‘park’ to ‘general community use’ to provide greater certainty and flexibility for the proposed Batemans Bay Regional Aquatic, Arts and Leisure Centre development. Despite the change in category, no change is proposed in the draft Plan of Management to the existing main uses of Mackay Park, being for a range of public recreation purposes and events.

The draft plan features a range of actions centred on issues that include growing Mackay Park’s primary uses of sport, events, aquatic, arts and culture, increasing public access and use, improving vehicle and pedestrian access, and integrating existing facilities with the proposed new centre, to name a few. The former bowling club site is not part of the plan as it is Council-owned, operational land.

The draft plan recommends Council continues environmental works along the fringes of Mackay Park as part of the Batemans Bay and Clyde River Estuary Management Plan (2005) and that Council explores opportunities for public art and other installations, including information boards and other facilities, to tell the story of Mackay Park and Batemans Bay.

The draft plan and an accompanying Frequently Asked Questions will be available on Council’s website www.esc.nsw.gov.au/haveyoursay throughout the exhibition period until Tuesday 12 February, while a structured survey is available for user groups to provide feedback.

In accordance with legislation, Council is required to host an independently-chaired public hearing to seek community input on the re-categorisation. This is scheduled to take place at 5pm on Wednesday 6 February at the Mackay Park function centre.