THE NEW North Ocean Shores Sports Field is completed and has been officially opened.
Constructed at a cost of $2.3 million the North Ocean Shores Sports Field, on Shara Boulevard, features a premier grade soccer field, home and away change rooms, public toilets, canteen, referees room and first aid room.
Designed with Ecologically Sustainable Design Principles, the building has great airflow, natural lighting in the change rooms and caters for all-abilities access and amenity.
It’s also the first New South Wales sports field to be fully lit with LED floodlights and one of the first in the country. The technology has only been available in the past year within Australia.
The new lights will use less power plus have significantly less ongoing maintenance costs and impacts to the field due to globes not needing to be replaced on a regular basis.
Mayor Simon Richardson congratulated all who had been involved in the project; the community, sporting groups, local schools, contractors, Council and staff.
“This is a long awaited and much needed facility for the north of Byron Shire. We have no doubt that it will be well used by many sporting groups, schoolies and families.
“Having spent my youth at local sporting clubs, I know how valuable strong clubs, with great fields and clubrooms, build a strong sense of community and their benefit to health and wellbeing.
“Today’s opening has only been made possible through this recognition from residents like Marc Patten and Ted Kabbout from the Shores United Soccer Club and local community representatives Kathy Norley, Angela Dunlop, Robert Crossley, Jan Mangelson and former Councillor Di Woods.
“Their drive has always been for a new field in the north. They have been tireless in lobbying and supporting the development of a new field and we thank them for their dedication to their communities.
“We’re looking forward to watching a new generation of athletes thrive in Ocean Shores, Billinudgel, South Golden Beach and neighbouring towns,” he said.
The seven hectare site was purchased in 2014 and is centrally located to service a number of local townships including Ocean Shores, Billinudgel, South Golden Beach, New Brighton and Brunswick Heads.
With two street frontages, the corner block has good access for transport plus the advantage of cycleways right to the entrance of the field.
Byron Shire Council would like to thank the following community organisations for their support in helping to deliver the long awaited field.
- Shores United Soccer Club
- Ocean Shores Community Association
- South Golden Beach Community Association
- New Brighton Village Association
- Ocean Shores, Main Arm and the Pocket public schools
The new sports facility was fully funded by Byron Shire Council.
The final step is naming the field in early 2017. Suggestions can be emailed to Council’s capital project officer, Nikki Bourke at Nikki.bourke@byron.nsw.gov.au