Recommending councillors note a “needs assessment” for the area and move ahead with plans to develop a new plan of management for Beaton Park and Wiseman’s Park, Labor councillor David Brown said it would be important to manage people’s expectations about the revamp.

“What we’ve got here is a whole list of things we think we want to do, but we need to be quite clear that there’s no bucket of money for this to happen straight away,” he said, noting some of the projects listed would not start until 2026.

“I think some of the interest groups will want more of a gold-plated service that what we’ve got there now, so we’ve also got to manage that expectation because every sport will want the biggest and best possible.” 

Cr Brown also moved that councillors ​incorporate elements of a community plan for Keiraville and Gwynneville into the Beaton Park overhaul, and consider including nearby Gilmore Park in future proposals.

Ann Martin looked forward to seeing plans take shape “in the next 10 or 20 years”.

“I think this proposal for Beaton Park, while it is very broad brush and is clearly not something we’re going to do immediately, will certainly not only appeal to our own residents ... but also to visitors from across Sydney, and the very large and growing population in South-West Sydney,” Cr Martin said.

“It’s an extremely exciting project and it will be very interesting to see what feedback we get.”

Chris Connor spoke about the importance of developing partnerships with private companies to ensure project could come to fruition without putting an undue import on public finances, and also asked when the council would release a staging plan for the works.  

The council’s property and recreation manager, Peter Coyte said the council hoped to develop a staging plan for the Beaton Park precinct in the next 12 months.

Greens councillors George Takacs highlighted the importance of including access to public and “active” transport option in future plans if Beaton Park was to expand.

“This site forms part of my commute [into the council building] and many times when I come in that site is packed with vehicles,” he said.

“If you’re going to expand the range of opportunities available and make it so the potential of those can be realised, you’re going to have to make it so people can get there by means other than by car.”

Cr Takacs said Beaton Park needed walking links to the east and west, and highlighted the need for a foot and cycle brdige over the South Coast rail line at Gipps Street.

Wollongong City Council last week flagged a decade-long, multi-million dollar overhaul for Beaton Park, revealing plans for four new pools, kids’ water play areas and water slides, a wellness centre and a gym big enough for 1000 new members.

Upgrades to the ageing leisure centre would provide a new aquatic program for seniors – including a sauna, spa, warm water exercise pool and water therapy area – as well as a water play area for kids, and would include more commercial opportunities like a cafe, retail space and improved sports medicine facilities.

The major future redevelopment, allowing the Beaton Park precinct to become a “regional sports centre of excellence”, would also include upgrades and add-on for the tennis courts and outdoor playing fields –including a full size football pitch – and a bigger grandstand at the athletics track.

A longer term plan would relocate the Snake Pit and build four new indoor courts in a stadium at the leisure centre site, where a retractable seating area would allow the stadium to host major indoor sports events.

The council has also flagged a new playground and picnic area for the open space around Beaton Park, including an “active youth and children’s area” with a skate park or BMX track, a network of cycle and walking paths and a new traffic plan and major road crossing to Wiseman’s Park. This neighbouring park would be included in the precinct overhaul, benefiting from a nature trail and an upgrade for the playground and pavilion.