FAQ

Beaton Park is a sporting area of regional importance located in the suburb of Gwynneville, just two kilometres from Wollongong CBD. The site supports a variety of sporting codes, sporting clubs, as well as community and commercial uses.

The site is owned by Council and is classified as community land and is zoned RE1 Public Recreation under the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009. A Plan of Management (PoM) is required for all community land in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993. Community land cannot be sold and must be used in accordance with an adopted PoM.

Within the PoM area is the Beaton Park Leisure Centre (BPLC), Wollongong Tennis Club, Illawarra Basketball Stadium (the Snake Pit), Beaton Park Sportsground, the Kerryn McCann Athletics Centre and a children’s playground.

Many of Beaton Park’s facilities are nearing the end of their operational life and, as the population in the area increases, there will be greater pressure to upgrade facilities to increase the range of uses as well as intensity of use.When these facilities were built, in the 1970s and 1980s, they were of high standard and well above contemporary facility provision in other areas, but that is no longer the case. Also, planning legislation has changed since these facilities were developed.

The Draft Plan of Management for Beaton Park aims to “Develop Beaton Park as a Regional Centre of Excellence with High Performance and Event Facilities that are complimented with improved local open space/parkland areas.” The draft PoM identifies a Vision, Values and Management Objectives for the future improvement of the facilities at Beaton Park.

The draft Planning Proposal for Beaton Park aims to reflect the current uses on site. For example, the Illawarra Sports Medicine Clinic would be considered a medical centre or a community health services facility under the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2009 as the Sports Clinic currently supports sports doctors, physiotherapists, dieticians, podiatrists and massage therapists. A “medical centre” or “community health services facilities” are not permitted in a RE1 zone under the LEP. Additionally, Registered Clubs, such as the Wollongong Tennis Club, are not permitted in the RE1 zone under the LEP. The Beaton Park Needs Assessment has recommended that health and wellness facilities be expanded in a redeveloped BPLC. The Wollongong Tennis Club may, in the future, expand its facilities, but it is no longer a permitted use in the zone, although it would enjoy limited existing use rights. 

For more information on each draft Beaton Park plan, please download an electric copy from our Have Your Say page, or view a hard copy at your local library.

The area for the draft Beaton Park Plan of Management is shown below. You can also find a PDF version of this map in the document library on this website.

Beaton Park PoM area includes 6 land parcels of community land in Gwynneville (Lot 113 DP 788462, Lot 104 DP 594259, Lot 401 DP 1128781, Lot 105 DP 594259, Lot 2 DP 700616 and Lot 102 DP 611233) that have a combined area of 13.8 ha.

The area for the draft Beaton Park Planning Proposal is shown below. You can also find a PDF version of this map in the document library on this website.

It is proposed to add “medical centre” and “community health facilities” for Lots 113 DP 788462, 104 DP 594256, 401 DP 1128781 and “registered club” for Lot 113 DP 788462 as permissible uses in the RE1 Public Recreation zone for Beaton Park to reflect current uses on site.

At the same time as the preparation of the draft Plan of Management and draft Planning Proposal, and following on from the ‘Beaton Park Needs Assessment’ completed in 2015, Council is commencing a master planning process for the site. The masterplan relates to both the Plan of Management and Planning Proposal, and will be developed to provide a clear direction for future development and the use of the Beaton Park area. If you have any comments to make on the future of Beaton Park or the master planning process, please include this as part of your submission.