Lake Macquarie councillors Brian Adamthwaite and Matt Schultz have strongly defended the location of sporting facilities funded by the Winten housing estate against critics.
At Monday night's Lake Macquarie City Council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to endorse the planning agreement (PA) with Winten (No. 21) Pty Ltd, which has approval to build a 1058-lot residential subdivision just north of the Newcastle Link Road at Cameron Park.
The PA will deliver $13.8 million for sporting facilities outside the estate.
These include two new sports fields at 10 Turnbull Street in Edgeworth, plus car parking and amenities, and two new hard courts and upgrades to two existing hard courts with floodlights at Gregory Park in West Wallsend.
A further $8.8 million from Winten would be spent on two local parks and playgrounds and a shared pathway within the housing estate.
There has been some criticism within the Lake Macquarie community and from the City of Newcastle, which lodged a submission in opposition, that the facilities funded by the Winten estate should not be delivered in Edgeworth and West Wallsend.
Cr Adamthwaite, a Labor representative in the North Ward, said the facilities, not the location, were of the greatest importance.
"There seems to be slight confusion that all the facilities should be in the new estate," Cr Adamthwaite said.
"Logically that doesn't make much sense at all. If you were to put up a netball court, it's not going to be a centre for netball.
"You need to have a number of facilities. The reason that Edgeworth is going to be looked at for football or soccer, whatever you want to call it, or netball at West Wallsend, is these centres exist and will be extended and modified so they will become more significant for the population that is coming into the area."
Liberal East Ward councillor Schultz questioned why the Newcastle council should be attempting to involve itself in the Lake Macquarie council's PA with Winten.
"I put on the record my disappointment towards City of Newcastle council for wanting to spend, potentially, money that is set aside for our residents and for the benefit of our residents here in Lake Macquarie with regard to developments that are within the boundaries of our city," Cr Schultz said.
"I contend that if they want to vote on matters here in Lake Macquarie, they should stand in the 2028 elections."
A notice of motion to advocate to the NSW government to improve the Lake Macquarie portion of the M1 Pacific Highway from Liberal West Ward councillor Jason Pauling was unanimously supported, but not without reservations.
Cr Pauling submitted the motion after counting about 500 patched areas, predominantly on the left southbound lane of the M1.
Cr Adamthwaite and fellow Labor North Ward councillor Keara Conroy were both concerned that the motion could make the M1 a priority over other Lake Macquarie roads under the council's remit.
"I don't think anyone west of the Great Dividing Range would be too worried about the M1's surface at the moment," Cr Conroy said.
Cr Conroy also said there were other major roads undergoing much-needed upgrades.
"We also have some great things happening in our community with Hillsborough Road and the [Newcastle] Inner City Bypass and don't want to see this become a priority over our advocacy for the completion of the Mandalong Road," she said.
"Anyone that lives on that side of the lake would say that Mandalong is a huge priority."
East Ward Labor councillor Stacey Radcliffe suggested an amendment to invite Central Coast Council to join in advocacy for M1 improvements, which was accepted by Cr Pauling.
Cr Pauling said his motion was about holding Transport for NSW to account to ensure they have a plan for the maintenance of the Lake Macquarie portion of the M1.
"This does open us, and particularly me, to some degree for criticism of 'Hey, your roads are pretty ordinary too', and that's fair," Cr Pauling said.
"But our poor roads, which are our responsibility, don't excuse a crap M1 that are other people's responsibility."
