Council voted to create a masterplan for Community Gardens stage improvements

Councillor Jenny Ellis put forward a notice of motion to create a masterplan for future improvements to both of council's stage facilities - the Community Gardens stage and the Memorial Park stage.

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She explained that the idea was not to put forward improvements immediately, but simply to have costs and potential improvements on hand for reference.

"The idea is to just get some facts and figures, get some stages in there so we can look at what sort of expenses are needed ahead," Cr Ellis said.

She cited the recent 'Groove and Graze Festival' as an example of the events that the new facilities brought, but said that improvements needed to be made.

"We have been watching the various events over the last year since the stage has been working. There's a number of different things in both the Memorial Park stage area and the Community Gardens area," she said.

"This is basically to allow us to create a masterplan with various stages in it, so we can have a plan to make those improvements."

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Councillor Simon Croce said that it would help council answer questions from the community in future.

"I think all of us from time to time will get hit up with 'when are you putting a fence around it,' 'When are you doing this, when are you doing that,' - we don't really have an answer because we haven't looked at it, so this will go away when we get a masterplan sorted."

"With the way the government works, you gotta show them something. If we get a bit of a plan, we can chase the money and grants and see how we go."

Future safety improvements were of paramount importance in the discussion, including ensuring safe access for emergency vehicles like ambulances and fencing around the event area.

Installing a fence around the Community Gardens stage area was of paramount importance, and questions of public liability were brought up by councillor Christine Stead in the event that somebody does become injured.

Councillor Christine Stead asked who would hold public liability when hiring the space out, and the council's director of Economic & Organisational Development Shireen Donaldson explained that the event organiser would hold liability - whether it be council or a private enterprise.

General manager Brett Stonestreet added that the costs to the community of creating the masterplan would be minimal, with most work being done internally by council staff.

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