FAQ

Stonehenge Reserve is currently leased to Stirling Tennis Club. It is used for summer and winter tennis competition as well as tennis coaching and social tennis. A portion of the space is leased to Adelaide Hills Petanque Club for its year round competition. 

It is also used for passive recreation and also as a pedestrian route to Avenue Road and beyond. 

Some adjacent owners use the Reserve as their primary access and others use it as secondary access to their properties. 

The reserve includes three car parking areas none of which are sealed or formally marked. 

An existing layout is included in the Options drawings in the Document Library.

Unfortunately, the former home of Stirling Comets at Wright Road is no longer suitable as a home for a viable netball club due its size (two courts only), player safety issues and the feasibility of remedying them and lack of space for player amenities. Therefore a new home is being sought for the club and its players. 

Council is considering various options for re-accommodating Stirling Comets. 

The proposed Stonehenge Reserve upgrade has been considered within the context of the existing sports facilities network in the Council area. 

Alternative locations have been suggested, and investigated. Council will continue to review other Council owned or controlled sites in Heathfield, Piccadilly, Upper Sturt and Stirling East. 

A master plan is a plan produced to evaluate and guide  how a site might be developed over time. It takes into account its current use, likely future uses, existing infrastructure, natural and man-made features as well as any known deficiencies or constraints that need to be addressed. 

Master plans are revisited regularly as changes in demand become apparent, including through community feedback.  

Concurrently  council is developing master plans for a number other recreational sites in the area and might be suitable for netball.  This  means opportunities and constraints of each site can be appropriately considered and compared as demand for the sports they accommodate changes with changes in the community.

The master planning for the site only proposes one new use, being the reintroduction of winter netball to the site. 

Other than this, it seeks to determine the best long term of configuration of the site for its continuing use for year-round tennis and petanque, maintaining adequate access for adjacent owners who use the site as the primary access their properties, access for walkers and effective stormwater and water course management.

Traffic monitoring has been undertaken on Stonehenge Avenue and Madeline Avenue.

The Department for Environment and Water have been consulted on options to address the sustainment of the watercourses through the reserve and address flooding risks.

To accommodate netball it is proposed that four existing adjoining tennis courts be dual lined to accommodate 3 netball courts, and that two additional tennis courts be provided, one of which will be capable of future or temporary dual lining for netball. 

Also, allowance has been made to improve clubhouse facilities either through expansion of the existing footprint or provision of new facilities within a specific zone.

Stonehenge Reserve is included in the current AHC Community Land Management Plan (CLMP) guiding its maintenance use and development, as required by the Local Government Act. The proposal is consistent with the current CLMP. This is available on the AHC website.

Council is currently reviewing the CLMP for this and other sites to ensure it is consistent with a recent ruling of the Supreme Court. Any required changes to the CLMP will be implemented prior to work commencing on site.

The netball season consists of 15 rounds of “home and away” Saturday competition between late April and August of which approximately half will be played “away”. 

This means that the Reserve will be unaffected by netball competition for 37 to 44 weekends of the year including all summer and all Sundays. 

The weekday training season commences in late March and may extend into September, but this activity is much less intense than competition and traffic patterns would be similar to those currently occurring for existing tennis training.

Netball competition does not coincide with petanque or peak tennis competition.

It is proposed that the Stage 1 will comprise the construction of the new courts and the re-marking of the existing courts that will be dual lined.

Any necessary works to maintain access to the petanque facilities and adjacent properties will also take place in this early stage. 

Subsequent stages will include formalisation of carparks, improved clubhouse facilities and general landscaping.

Subject to the Council decision in April 2019, work on Stage 1 will commence on site in mid-2019 and be complete in time for the 2020 winter netball season. Subsequent stages such as improved clubhouse facilities will be undertaken as funding becomes available.

Council has undertaken traffic monitoring on Stonehenge Avenue and Madeline Road over a period of 6 weeks coinciding with the beginning of the summer tennis season.

Traffic Engineering staff have reviewed this data and traffic numbers are within the limits expected for local roads. Council is continuing to review this data to better understand the effect of events in Stonehenge Reserve on traffic patterns. However, a number of initiatives are being considered to improve pedestrian safety along approaches to the reserve. 

These include: 

- Removal of low level roadside vegetation along  Stonehenge Ave and Madeline Road where it restricts vision  or  forces pedestrians off footpaths.

-Installation of additional signage to alert drivers to likelihood of pedestrians

-Formation of  footpaths

Ensuring adequate car parking is available is an essential part of the proposed Stonehenge Reserve Upgrade.

Parking for a minimum of 56 cars is being planned for. This would allow for up to 18 cars per netball court if all 3 courts were in use at the same time. This is above that provided at other sites including the former Stirling Comets courts at Wright road.

Netball competition days do not coincide with tennis or pétanque days, nor will they coincide market days, any major community events in Stirling or the summer fire danger period. 

Council have recently received the results of a comprehensive arboricultural survey of the site and these have been considered in the master planning process. 

The proposed master plan options allow for retention of all native vegetation and significant trees other than any that are reaching the end of their life. 

Ensuring the flooding risk to downstream properties is reduced, from the existing creek through the site, by creating a detention basin, will require removal of some self sown introduced species adjacent the creek.

The new use to be accommodated is a winter sport that takes place outside the usual fire season. 

Cancellation of all sporting events would be expected on Catastrophic Fire Danger days.

Netball is a competition sport played in local communities across the country. It does not involve sirens or amplification. 

Any noise generated is comparable to that generated in a school yard or playground by enthusiastic play. 

Given that it is a winter sport, with matches played during the day, it is not anticipated that it will any more disruptive than any other less predictable noise sources that are a normal part of township life in the hills.

We are engaging the local community so we can understand views about the proposed Stonehenge Reserve Upgrade as well as any additional considerations that may impact the project. 

Your feedback is important to us and we encourage you to have your say:

·Using the feedback survey available on this website (hard copies can be made available on request and at the customer service counter at Coventry Library, Stirling. 

·Emailing the team on engagement@ahc.sa.gov.au

·Calling our customer service team on 8408 0400

·Sending a letter to Adelaide Hills Council, PO Box 44, Woodside SA 5244

We request your comments are received by Friday 22nd February (extended from Friday 1 February)

We will:

·Continue community consultation on the four master plan options with residents, property holders, businesses and sporting clubs 

·Undertake further transport and environmental assessments

·Continue ongoing recreation facilities assessment across the Council area including Heathfield, Piccadilly, Upper Sturt and Stirling East

·Analyse all feedback received

·Develop a consultation report for the Council’s consideration as part of the final decision-making process

The community have already provided really valuable information and the key themes so far are:

·Resident access

·Traffic

·Pedestrian safety

·Parking 

·Stormwater

·Noise

·Lighting 

·Trees on site

·Bushfire risk

·Other locations

Between now and 22 February 2019 we will continue seeking feedback from the community about the proposed Stonehenge Reserve upgrade.

In March 2019 we will analyse all feedback received and develop a consultation report

In April 2019 a final decision will be made by Council