A new masterplan for Wagga Cricket Ground unveiled by Wagga Wagga City Council could see the forgotten oval restored to its former glory. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Council.
Wagga Cricket Ground could soon see a revival with Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) unveiling a new masterplan for the forgotten oval this week.
The new long-term strategy document will soon go to public exhibition, with the biggest consideration for residents being the removal of the existing cycling track.
WWCC business papers related to the oval show that several upgrade requests have been made by stakeholders since 2021. The papers also show that WWCC believes that due to the completion of the Pomingalarna cycling complex, the oval in its current state has met the end of its asset life and will become an increasing maintenance burden.
Council’s City Growth and Regional Assets Manager Ben Creighton said WWCC worked with stakeholders over the past 18 months to develop the masterplan and believed it was now time for community input.
“We’re encouraging the community to provide feedback so that we can get an understanding of the desires and expectations for the future of the Wagga Cricket Ground,” he said.
“Removing the cycle track allows us to expand the footprint of the oval and gives us some more flexibility around the use of that space moving forward.
“Not only does it increase the size of the oval from a cricket perspective and give us some opportunities for turning it into a higher level cricket venue, but it also allows for us to put a full-size rectangular field which would then increase the possibilities for sports such as soccer, rugby league and rugby union to be played there.”
Mr Creighton suggested that if and when potential upgrades were completed, the oval could lend itself to being one of the high-profile sporting venues in the city.
“In crafting the masterplan, we’ve been involved with the RSL Cricket Club, as it is currently their home ground but, it has also involved representatives from Wagga Cricket and NSW Cricket to understand what the future of that site could be and what the requirements, from an infrastructure point of view, would be,” he said.
“I think it could become a much higher level facility that would be capable of hosting now a wide variety of events moving forward.
“Whether it’s the premier spot for sport is probably something that you’d need to think through a little bit because it’s got some other logistical challenges in terms of access from a parking perspective and its proximity to some of the residential areas.”
The draft Wagga Wagga Cricket Ground Concept Masterplan will go to public exhibition for 30 days beginning 14 June with submissions being accepted until 21 July.
Following the public exhibition period, the council will receive a further report addressing any submissions received in respect to the masterplan.
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