Strategic alignment – Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022, draft Healthy Aging Hornsby Strategy 2022 and draft Flood Risk Management Study and Plan

Renew our public amenities

Providing safe, accessible, and inclusive public toilets is critical to ensure community participation in our Shire. While public toilets physically come in many forms, they are all, at a minimum, a private space within a larger public place that supports physical and mental health and hygiene. There are approximately 50 public toilet blocks located across the Shire with most being built in the 1960s or 1970s. Except for the most recent installations, our public toilets do not meet accessibility standards or are aged and do not meet community expectations. Council’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022 and draft Healthy Aging Hornsby Strategy 2022 identify access to public toilets as a priority. Additional funding through an SRV will enable Council to undertake a rolling renewal program for public toilets that would enable both accessibility and community expectations to be met.

Community centre access and use upgrades

Council has a network of 23 community centres. Most of them are legacy centres that were built at a time when accessibility wasn’t considered. Accessibility audits have been completed on the network (an action in the Disability Inclusion Action Plan) and $4.3M is required to implement audit recommendations. Additional funding through an SRV will enable Council to upgrade community centres to be accessible by all.

Improve sportsgrounds change rooms

Council maintains 43 sportsgrounds, 42 netball courts and 75 tennis courts at 17 centres. Council’s emphasis is on grassroots sports and in addition to the playing fields themselves, the supporting amenities/change rooms are crucial to the effective use of these facilities. Council’s Sportsground Strategy 2018 identifies sites where sportsground works are required to meet demands. Most of our changerooms are dated and do not meet current sports standards, or community expectations, particularly catering for female participation. In addition, most of the public toilets do not meet accessibility standards or meet contemporary expectations. Additional funding through an SRV will enable Council to renew and update change rooms and amenities at major sporting hubs to meet accessibly requirements and community needs.

Prioritised stormwater upgrades

Council has prepared a draft Flood Risk Management Study and Plan for the various urban catchments within our LGA. The primary purpose of this Plan is to quantify the nature and extent of existing and potential flooding problem and provide a range of options that could be implemented to expand the capacity and effectiveness of our stormwater network. Additional funding through an SRV will enable Council to implement some of the high priority initiatives identified in our Plan.