A COMMUNITY group has accused Brisbane City Council of ignoring residents and rushing ahead with a controversial $250,000 pickleball facility at Cox Park, Lota.
The Wynnum Manly Community Group has called for construction to be halted amid concerns about noise, safety, consultation, and the loss of a community hardstand.
Group spokeswoman Tarnya Lowe said residents were “deeply disappointed” Council intended to proceed despite a petition calling for the project to be paused.
“The people who use the park and live beside it should have been consulted before the project was designed, funded and scheduled for construction, not after the decision had effectively been made,” she said.
Council recently altered parts of the project design, including increasing the distance between the proposed courts and the playground.
Ms Lowe said those changes showed the community’s objections were legitimate and should have been addressed much earlier.
“That appears to confirm that the concerns were legitimate and should have been properly considered before the project reached the construction stage,” she said.
“The community has not asked Council to abandon pickleball. We have asked Council to pause, properly assess the proposal and consult before spending money.”
A major sticking point is the future of the existing netball hardstand, which residents use for bike riding, ball games, children’s activities and informal recreation without requiring a booking or club membership.
The hardstand is expected to be retained for six months before being replaced with grass, but residents fear the change will dramatically reduce the area’s usefulness.
Residents have also questioned potential noise impacts, planning requirements, future leasing and management arrangements, safety around the toddler playground and whether other sites were considered.
Ms Lowe said alternative locations had been identified for the pickleball facility to proceed without removing the hardstand or creating the same conflicts with residents and park users.
She warned Council risked spending $250,000 on a facility that could later be subjected to restrictions.
