A series of exciting upgrades are planned for Bernie Mullane Reserve, Kellyville underlining its status as one of the best community spaces in The Hills.
Hills Shire Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne is inviting residents to have their say on the Master Plan, which includes a new water play area for children, an extension to the recreation centre and transforming two of the football fields to synthetic surface.
“Bernie Mullane Reserve is already one of our most popular community spaces,” Mayor Byrne said.
“It really does have something for everyone. There are football fields, cricket nets, cricket ovals, tennis courts, picnic shelters, an electric barbecue, a gym, community centre, a children’s playground and more.”
“But now we are looking at how we can improve the park even further for the next generation of Hills residents.”
Mayor Byrne said one of the most exciting proposed changes was the installation of a water play area near the existing playground.
“There have been numerous calls for more play areas that incorporate water and as a young mum myself I think this would prove to be a very popular addition to Bernie Mullane Reserve.”
Mayor Byrne said the reserve could also become the first in the Shire to feature synthetic rectangular fields.
“The boom in sporting participation throughout The Hills has led to the deterioration of some fields, particularly due to high impact sports such as Walla Tag and six-a-side soccer.”
“Converting two of the football fields to synthetic would allow for more playing time throughout the year. It means that these grounds have a far greater chance of remaining open while other grounds are closed due to rain.”
The recreation centre has also been earmarked for an extension.
“The Bernie Mullane Recreational Centre has slowly transformed over time incorporating a gym, but it wasn’t purposely built for that activity. We are now proposing that we extend the recreational centre to make it a four-court facility, include a purpose built area for the gym and additional facilities.”
Additional parking is proposed to be built on site to try and accommodate more cars on site and less on the surrounding streets however, this would mean the dam will need to be removed.
“We know that many residents enjoy feeding the ducks at Bernie Mullane so we will be retaining a smaller, more manageable version of the pond in a quiet leisure space, which will be a more appropriate outcome for the park and will still allow residents to enjoy a water feature”
“The full raft of changes proposed for Bernie Mullane Reserve can be viewed online. I invite residents to have their say on what could be an excellent upgrade for this wonderful community space.”
To view the exhibited documents, visit www.thehills.nsw.gov.au and search for major plans on exhibition, or click here: https://www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/Building/Major-Plans-on-Exhibition/Current-Plans-on-Exhibition/Draft-Landscape-Master-Plan-%E2%80%93-Bernie-Mullane-Sports-Complex
