Creek Road precinct plans win strong backing as Maryland sports hub takes shape

newy.com.au – City of Newcastle has begun shaping a final masterplan for a new district-level sporting precinct on Creek Road in Maryland after public feedback strongly backed draft concept designs for the five-hectare site.

The sports facility is planned to serve fast-growing suburbs in the city’s north-west, with council positioning the Creek Road precinct as a multisport hub in response to demand from clubs, codes and families across Minmi, Fletcher, Maryland and surrounding areas.

More than 120 submissions were received during the public exhibition of the draft Creek Road sporting precinct plans, with City of Newcastle reporting that over 90% of respondents supported the concepts on display. The feedback came from a mix of individuals, sporting associations and clubs and will now guide decisions about which codes are ultimately accommodated and how the grounds are laid out.

City of Newcastle’s Executive Manager Community and Recreation Lynn Duffy said interest had come from a wide cross-section of the local sporting community. “We heard from 106 individuals, six sporting associations and nine local clubs,” Ms Duffy said. “They represented a variety of codes including football, rugby league, cricket, tennis, netball, cycling, touch football and Oz tag.”

Duffy said the comments received during consultation would be considered alongside broader planning principles as council moves into the next stage. “As we move toward the design phase, we’ll consider all submissions alongside established criteria such as participation trends, female participation, potential for growth and shared use, to guide the most suitable sporting codes and layout for the site,” she said.

The new facilities will occupy a five-hectare parcel at the south-western corner of a larger 30-hectare Creek Road site owned by City of Newcastle. Two concept options were exhibited, each including one all year-round rectangular field and one cricket field with four turf wickets as core elements of the precinct.

Under the draft plans, the key difference between the options is whether the remaining space hosts two additional rectangular fields or a single Australian rules football field, reflecting competing calls from different codes for access to new playing surfaces in the north-west corridor. Almost 34% of respondents indicated they wanted football to be accommodated on the five-hectare site, while 22% advocated for a multi-sport facility.

Beyond the playing fields, the draft masterplan proposes a dual-facing grandstand with player change rooms, a canteen, storage and public amenities to support match days and training. The wider precinct would also feature open training spaces, cricket practice nets, fitness stations, car parking and new trees and landscaping.

Chair of City of Newcastle’s Sports Infrastructure Working Party, Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz, said the consultation made clear residents wanted a shared, flexible precinct. “As Minmi, Fletcher, Maryland and surrounding suburbs continue to attract more families it’s clear we need to accommodate a range of sporting codes at Creek Road,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.

Winney-Baartz said community members had also highlighted facilities and design features they see as essential. “The community emphasised the need to facilitate female participation, with a desire for the grounds to have modern drainage and irrigation, and for the site to have adequate parking options,” she said.

Environmental considerations are another focus for the project, with the broader Creek Road site containing natural areas including wetlands. “As the site contains a mix of natural areas including wetlands, the project will be designed to ensure the surrounding natural environment is also celebrated and protected, allowing for a range of active and passive recreation opportunities to co-exist within the precinct,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.

Once the final masterplan has been developed, it will be presented to the elected Council for adoption next year. Detailed design work is expected to begin in the 2026/27 financial year, with City of Newcastle indicating the project is likely to be delivered in stages over the following five to 10 years, supported by government funding and external partnerships. The allocation of grounds to specific sporting clubs will occur through a separate process at a later stage of the development.