Norths Eagles Masterplan Facilities

I am pleased to be able to present the Facilities Master Plan that will support Norths Rugby Club (“Norths”) into the future.

In developing our Master Plan, it’s important to acknowledge that Norths is not only home to Norths Rugby, but also multiple other sub-tenants and user Groups from within our local community. In addition to Norths own 1000+ registered (senior and junior) members, and their families, other regular users of our facilities include The Bustard Eagles Rugby Club, Wavell Height’s Oztag, The Brisbane Hustlers Rugby Club, Wavell Heights High School, Padua College, Central District School Sport, the Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls Sports Association, Kedron ParkRun, Aviation Australia and many more local schools, community groups and individuals.

The Master Planning process commenced in 2021, when Norths undertook a whole of Club independent review that led to the development of our “Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026”. A key pillar of that plan was “Facilities”. It was recognised that our current facilities were both ageing and no longer fit for purpose and that improved off-field facilities were required to (a) better service our core rugby needs, in particular those of our growing female membership (b) better service our other regular users and the local community needs and (c) ensure we have financial sustainability for Norths in perpetuity.

Assisted by a grant from the Brisbane City Council (“BCC”), our Master Planning process has involved researching our critical and long-term needs, including seeking feedback from our members, users and community. We then obtained town planning, engineering, architectural and quantity surveyor and various other consulting support and also engaged with BCC and other stakeholders to inform our Master Plan.

This Master Plan now addresses the critical immediate and long-term needs of Norths and our members, other regular users and the broader local community who utilise Norths facilities.

Our Master Plan has been prepared on a staged basis, identifying the various projects (large & small) required to meet our identified needs over a proposed time period of circa 5 – 10 years.

Projects range in value from as little as several thousand dollars up to several million. The Master Plan has been intentionally staged so that current and future committees can execute individual projects (in various order) as funding opportunities become available.

The Master Plan includes (but is not limited to) the following key projects:

– Immediate club house renovations to upgrade existing change rooms to be unisex compliant, kitchen and main clubhouse flooring upgrades;
– Addition of an apparel store adjacent to the current club house structure;
– Increased storage facilities on field 2 & 3 via a new 6 bay storage shed;
– Additional unisex changeroom facilities to cater equally for men and women on field 2 & 3;
– Commercial facilities in accordance with our town planning constraints that will be complementary to current uses of Norths and the broader community and support long term financial self-sustainability (i.e. a New Gym and a Sports Recovery Centre / Allied Health);
– Multiple small-scale amenities such as shade structures, pathways and outdoor seating;
– Long term – a new main club house to provide new unisex change rooms, referee room, meeting rooms, food & beverage facilities, office space for staff and appropriate storage.

While this Master Plan provides architectural drawings and/or concept designs of proposed new or upgraded buildings and other structures, they are intended to be a guide only. As funding becomes available, current and future committees will have scope to finalise the detailed design of the relevant structures (subject to BCC approval), with this Master Plan serving as the overarching planning document to guide what is built and where it is built.

This Master Plan will therefore serve the club as its road map for future development that delivers the facilities required to support Norths and our other users immediate and long-term needs.

Yours faithfully,
Shaun McKinnon
President

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