Moore Reserve Plan of Management & Masterplan

Georges River Council has recently engaged Gondwana Consulting to prepare a Plan of Management and Masterplan for Moore Reserve, Oatley.

The Moore Reserve Plan of Management will guide the use, management and development of the Reserve into the future.

Georges River Council is inviting users, the community and stakeholders to offer your views about what it is you value or like about Moore Reserve, how you use the area, what needs attention, and suggestions or ideas for the future of this important area.

Moore Reserve

Moore Reserve covers an area of approximately 15 hectares adjacent to the suburbs of Oatley and Hurstville Grove. The area to be addressed in the Plan of Management is indicated in bright green on the map below, and includes the boat ramp and facilities.

The Reserve was once a long and narrow tidal inlet containing large stands of mangroves called Renown Creek. The site was modified by filling the estuarine embayment with dredge spoil during the 1950’s and subsequent filling through the operation of a municipal waste landfill facility between 1967 and 1977.

Moore Reserve is now a significant community asset offering a large open space that provides a number of different recreation opportunities. In addition to the boat ramp, close to the water there is a number of shaded seating areas with BBQ facilities and on-site parking. In the middle of the park there is an enclosed off leash dog park with further passive open space in its surrounds with workout equipment. In the north of the park there is a child’s playground with some bushland and water harvesting.

The Reserve includes both “community land” (land a Council owns and manages on behalf of the community) and Crown Land managed by Georges River Council.

A plan of management can be thought of as a management “contract“ between Council (the land manager) and the community (the ultimate owners and users of the land) setting out how an area and its facilities will be used, improved, maintained and managed in the future (including any leases, licences or special permits).

Community Input and Involvement

It is important that Moore Reserve’s recreational users, neighbours, stakeholders and the wider community have a role in preparing the Plan of Management. This is to ensure the area’s use and management is consistent with the community’s expressed values, needs, desires and ideas.

A summary of the process Council will follow in preparing the Plan of Management is outlined at right. It includes opportunities for interested people and groups to be involved or contribute to the Plan’s preparation.

Such involvement and inputs are important to ensure the Plan, and ultimately the area’s management, responds to community opinions, ideas and desires for the area and its future.

As an early stage in the new Plan’s preparation Council is inviting input from the Reserve’s users, neighbours, and wider community regarding your needs, expectations and opinions about the Reserve. This input could cover things such as what you like about the area, what works well, issues to address, what could be changed or improved, and what you would like to see occur here in the future.

How to Get Involved

There are a number of ways you can contribute to the Moore Reserve Plan of Management and Masterplan:

• Complete the short on-line feedback/input form. Hard copies of this form are also available from the Georges River Council Office at Hurstville and at Council libraries.
• Come along to one of two drop-in information/discussion “kiosks” to be held on the Reserve – on Thursday 27 February (from 11 am to 3pm) or Saturday 29 February (from 10am to 2pm).
• Providing your opinions, ideas or suggestions directly – by e-mail or letter – to the project officers listed below.

Your views will contribute to preparation of the Moore Reserve Park Draft Plan of Management and Masterplan, which will also be subsequently exhibited for further community review and feedback.

Inputs and comments should be received no later than Friday 13 March 2020.