Council, acting as the reserve trustee on recommendation of its Showground Committee of Management, has approved the plan after a public exhibition period.

The plan shows nine precincts, with upgrades and changes marked to some areas.  

Under the plan, equestrian facilities, like stables, will be improved to accommodate events like showjumping, rodeos and campdrafting.

There are also plans for facilities that are sub-standard or no longer in use. Dated buildings like the sheep and pig stalls and sheep yards will be relocated to an integrated display area and the yards associated with the bull pavilion, which is are no longer used, will be removed to open up options for the positioning of other facilities.

The plan proposes to extend the bitumen sealed roads around the showground to better manage vehicle access.

The area east of the main arena, used for the show and circuses, will be improved with upgrades to the ground surface and expanded for equestrian events.

Vehicle access will also be controlled and restricted in this area to maintain a higher quality ground surface and allow use as a warm-up area during the showjumping festival and other equine events. 

The Scouts and Cubs buildings will remain in place, along with the basketball and gymnastics centres and Kennel Club, under agreements with the Reserve Trust.

Council said a long-term plan for a camping ground could contribute financially to the management and maintenance of the showground precinct. The grounds and facilities will be improved in the existing camping ground with a long-term view to develop a caravan park complete with en suite facilities and cabin accommodation.

One of the major and controversial changes will be long-term plans to relocate sporting activities at Longmuir Fields to the Donnelly and Namoi Playing Fields. 

Under the showground master plan, the use of the Longmuir area south of the View Street entrance will primarily be used for equestrian activities and events the nearby “tech paddock” is now used for – including pony camp  and competition warm-ups. The “tech paddock” land is owned by the Department of Education and there is no long-term certainty for the showground’s use.

The Show Society has also flagged the idea of developing equestrian facilities in the Wandobah Reserve which would incorporate a cross-country course, carriage driving course and dressage arena.

The amenities and canteen facilities will be upgraded and there will also be improved car parking for 60 cars along the View Street entrance road.

Netball will still be played at Longmuir with plans to increase the number of hard surface courts.

The current playing fields south of the View Street entrance will stay where they are for up to five years as council progresses its plans to develop the Donnelly and Namoi playing fields as part of its open space development strategy. 

“The Open Space Strategy adopted in 2010 identified the need for council and Gunnedah to look at additional and better quality sporting facilities, post-2015,” council’s director of planning and environmental services Mike Silver said.

“That’s the underlying reason behind this.”

“The Showground Master Plan is a long term blueprint to provide direction in the development of the showground reserve with the various initiatives to be prioritised and undertaken when funds become available,” Mr Silver said.

Almost $1 million will be injected into the development of the Donnelly and Namoi playing fields near the Namoi River, as council pushes ahead with plans to create a central sports area.

The project ties in with council’s open space strategy which calls for additional and better quality sporting facilities after 2015. 

Council will spend $940,000 over the next two to three years in the area, with some of the work already completed. 

The expansion of Donnelly Fields to the east to create space for more sporting activities and the relocation of the existing synthetic cricket pitch has already been completed.

Improvement works to irrigation and ground surfaces at both Donnelly and Namoi fields will be undertaken together with extensions to the current canteen and amenities block which will be connected to the sewer.

The building will double in size to include storage facilities and there will be separate provision made for storage facilities for sporting groups. 

There will also be major roadworks to include bitumen sealing, stormwater drainage and kerb and gutter improvements in Maitland Street and Rosemary Street.

On the western side of Donnelly Fields, plans are under way  to build an access road and cul-de-sac as well as bollards to stop unauthorised access to the area where there is currently illegal rubbish dumping and erosion from vehicles accessing the area.

Council bought more vacant land three years ago on the southern side of Maitland Street which has the capacity for additional open space and active sporting use.

The plan has drawn criticism from sporting groups who have raised concerns about car parking, flooding and safety issues associated with the river and the ground surfaces.

Council’s director of planning and environmental services Mike Silver said those issues would be addressed.

“Car parking will be significantly improved and much greater and safer than what exists at Longmuir,” Mr Silver said. 

He said flooding issues should not pose a major problem.

“If you analyse use of open space for sport in Tamworth, Inverell, Narrabri, Cowra and Armidale – just to name a few – they are all located on a floodplain. 

“The reason for that is, it puts to use open space and public land that can’t be used for residential and other urban uses.

“Also, the sedimentary deposition is beneficial to top dressing those areas. It’s a prime location for recreational uses.” 

Mr Silver said he did not think the Namoi River would be a major consideration when it came to safety.

“Cricket has used those grounds since 1981, junior and senior, without incident and junior cricket has used the Namoi fields since 2002, for age levels below 12 years.

“Over the past two years Central Northern Rugby has run its age carnival at the Donnelly Fields and Namoi Playing Fields with over 1000 players involved on that weekend. A lot of the improvements hadn’t been undertaken yet the response was still outstanding and confirmed the opportunity that area provides,” Mr Silver said.