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A six year long-delayed plan of management for McMahons Park caused by bureaucratic in competence, and the communities urgent concerns about the loss of key community facilities came to a head at Hawkesbury City Council April meeting
At the council meeting on April 14, representatives from the McMahon Park Management Association addressed councillors, highlighting years of delays and the growing impact on the Kurrajong community of the decay of the Park facilities as fund raising and funding grants needed to be put on hold until a Plan of Management was finalised.
Association chairman Colin Tindale told council the process to finalise a Plan of Management (PoM) had dragged on for more than six years, preventing improvements and leaving the park without key infrastructure.
“We were first notified in March 2020 that a Plan of Management would be required and that no further improvements could take place until the process had been completed,” Mr Tindale said.
Plans funded by the association to install new facilities, including an outdoor table tennis table and furniture, were put on hold as a result.
Compounding frustrations, the park’s fitness equipment was removed in early 2020 and can not been replaced until the PoM was finalised, leaving the site without a fitness station for six years.
More recently, the situation has worsened, with the park’s playground declared unsafe and fenced off, meaning the community is now without both a playground and fitness area.
Mr Tindale urged council to prioritise funding and fast-track works to restore the playspace, noting an amendment to the budget for McMahons Park was also before councillors that night.
“I ask that you take into consideration the impact the delay to the PoM has had on the community and request that the budget for this work is approved and the work given priority,” he said.
The association also raised concerns about inaccuracies in the draft Plan of Management, including outdated references to structures that no longer exist. While some corrections have been made, others remain.
Despite this, the group indicated it would accept the plan in its current form if further delays could be avoided.
“If correcting these errors will further delay approval of the PoM then we have no objection to the errors remaining,” Mr Tindale said, describing them as minor and not affecting the intent of the document.
The council report presented on April 14 outlined the timeline of the PoM process, including setbacks such as the resignation of an independent contractor in 2021, which forced council to restart part of the process.
The PoM is a key requirement for managing Crown land and must be approved before significant upgrades or new infrastructure can proceed.
For residents, however, the issue is more immediate the loss of vital recreational facilities and uncertainty about when they will return.
Councillors discussed correcting the errors in the PoM presented to the meeting, however Council Administration stated that would require an extended process.
Council approved the PoM, however the associated budget measures will expected to determine how quickly works at McMahons Park can move forward and the equipment restored.
