New surface a hard sell

Stephen Lindau told the Times the outdoor court near the Phil Renkin Recreation Centre had a hard tarmac surface that posed safety risks. ‘Why build a court like this – if any kid goes down, they are guaranteed to be hurt,’ he said. However, City community development director Fiona Bentley said the courts were in good condition and there were no current plans to improve the facilities. ‘The City’s youth team are about to embark on a new consultation process with young people across the City seeking feedback on the facilities and infrastructure we currently have and what they would like to see,’ Mrs Bentley said. ‘The future provision of facilities within the Two Rocks area is guided by the City’s northern coastal corridor community facilities plan, which allows for the provision of new facilities and replacement and upgrade of existing infrastructure. ‘Any upgrade of the basketball courts at Charnwood Reserve would be undertaken in the context of a master planning exercise for the reserve as a whole and its integration with the Phil Renkin centre and Two Rocks Library.’ Mrs Bentley said the plan covered provision of specific multipurpose hard courts, with several district and regional hard courts proposed. ‘The exact locations and timings of these developments are subject to the ongoing planning and development applications in the area,’ she said. Mr Lindau said he hoped private sponsors would step in to fund a soft-fall surface at the basketball courts. He said he wanted to develop sports in Two Rocks, particularly basketball, because the suburb had few sporting clubs, with most based in Yanchep.