There will be a high price to pay in terms of lost playing fields.
Camera IconThere will be a high price to pay in terms of lost playing fields. Credit: Supplied/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Opinion: Loss of land will indeed be drastic

Murray French, MelvilleMelville Gazette

Regarding Patricia Phelan’s letter (Melville Times, July 11).

I find it hard to believe that “there will be no drastic loss” of sporting ovals as a result of the proposed $9.4 million upgrade to Tompkins Park.

It depends on one’s definition of drastic.

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By any area calculation, there will be room for only one cricket oval instead of two fronting Canning Highway.

The extra parking for the proposed wave park or other alternative commercial use will also take up green space.

Taking the current area of readily accessible grassed fields, less the net loss to the wave park, less the area of the displaced bowling club, less the area for extra parking may not be a drastic loss, but it is certainly a significant loss.

It gets down to what is going to be important in the future for a growing and active population: new venues for meetings and functions, or maximising the area of grass fields for both formal (low cost) and informal (free) sporting activity.

MURRAY FRENCH

Melville