Cambridge unveils 50-year plan for clubs, parks and community facilities, makes huge call on upgrades

The Town of Cambridge has paused approvals for any new or unplanned improvements to local leisure and sporting facilities while it develops a master plan to guide spending on all its leisure and open spaces for the next 50 years. The big western suburb council’s Leisure Assets Master Plan project aims to create a framework to guide the town’s investments in community facilities and open spaces. Though the council has backed developing the plan since 2021, its progress was finally triggered after the Town of Cambridge received a one-off financial windfall from the sale of former Catalina Regional Council land in Perth’s northern suburbs and the Ocean Village carparks in City Beach. The master plan will encompass local sporting and community clubs that use town-run facilities, as well as open spaces such as parks, ovals and playgrounds. It will look at asset management, capital works, co-location and shared use opportunities, leasing and licensing arrangements and funding priorities. The council has just wrapped up its tender for an independent consultant to lead the project and has scheduled a period of community engagement from mid-2026 to early-2027. The plan is expected to take between 12 and 24 months to develop, with a final adoption anticipated by early 2028. In the meantime, the town said it will pause approvals for any requests for new, unplanned improvements to existing community facilities and open spaces. Regular maintenance and planned renewals will continue, and the town will make exceptions for safety or high-risk issues. Mayor Gary Mack said the decision aimed to provide good financial stewardship and fairness, and was not about saying “no” to local clubs keen to develop local facilities. “As elected members, we are responsible for ensuring these assets provide long-lasting and sustainable benefits to our community,” he said. “Core to this is sensible, evidence-based future planning for our community needs - now and tomorrow.” The move coincides with a State Government decision, announced late last year, to withhold future funding rounds of its Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund and Club Night Lights Program while it reviews the initiatives. The programs are key funding routes for suburban sport and recreation clubs and local governments, and operate on a shared funding basis with one third of funding provided by the State, a third by the local government and a third by the club. Mr Mack said Cambridge council was not aware the Government review would occur simultaneously with the development of its master plan, but said the situation would allow clubs to be ahead of the curve when applying for funding when the State programs re-open. “By participating in the LAMP, clubs will have a clearer picture about future community needs for their club and the available facilities and spaces to support them,” he said. “This should result in evidence-based proposals that are aligned to the town’s priorities.” The go-ahead for the master plan was brought forward after being endorsed by the council multiple times since 2021. Mr Mack said it had decided to proceed with the LAMP now, given Cambridge’s healthy financial position, following the sale of the Ocean Village carparks and the Tamala Park land, in which the town had a one-twelfth share along with the City of Perth and five other local governments. “The sale of the Catalina land and the Ocean Village carparks has strengthened our reserves with a one-off financial boost. It gives us flexibility but also a responsibility,” Mr Mack said “We need to invest these funds wisely, so the whole community benefits not just today, but for decades to come.” Mr Mack said the town intended to move through the process as quickly as possible and could potentially consider early funding for requests for work, if possible. “Throughout the project, as our consultant gathers and shares more data with the town, if we can look at some requests for works or funding earlier, we will certainly consider that,” he said. “What will be vital is that clubs and community engage with the process as much as possible. “We will keep the lines of communication with clubs and other stakeholders open throughout the process and provide regular updates.”