Moruya Riverside Park and Reserves Plan of Management and Master Plan

Moruya Riverside Park and Moruya Riverside Reserves are located on the north-eastern edge of Moruya town centre and adjoining the Moruya River. The reserves extend east to west, bound by the Princes Highway to the west, the Moruya River to the north and Ryans Creek to the south-east. The Moruya town centre adjoins to the south and south-west, meaning that the reserves are ideally located to service the Moruya community and its visitors.

Riverside Park (R82377) is commonly known as the area incorporating:

• Russ Martin Park
• Moruya War Memorial Swimming Pool
• Moruya Riverside Park.

While Moruya Riverside Reserve (R83511) consists of Ryans Creek Reserve.

The area known as Moruya Riverside Park (82377) and Riverside Reserve (consisting of Ryans Creek Reserve) (83511) have long been part of the social and recreational history of the area and continue to play an important role in recreational activities and community events.

Moruya Riverside Park contains a range of infrastructure that serves a wide range of community, recreation, sporting, cultural and environmental interests. The Parks immediate proximity to Moruya town centre creates an important space within the broader Moruya area and means that the Park is regularly used by residents and visitors.

Moruya Riverside Reserves, which includes Ryans Creek Reserve, caters for low-scale passive recreation activities set within a largely natural setting. Portions of the area have been progressively revegetated to improve the environmental attributes following previous clearing and grazing activities.

The reserve supports numerous threatened animal species, including a Grey-headed flying fox maternity camp, as well as large areas of threatened native vegetation. It is primarily a riparian and wetland zone with significant environmental and Aboriginal cultural heritage values.

A Plan of Management is required by legislation for all land classified as 'community' land. A POM provides the legal and strategic framework and operational governance for the precinct and enables the delivery of actions identified through the landscape master plan.

A POM outlines:

• how certain public land can be used, developed and managed
• the scale and intensity of current and future use and development on the land
• how leases and licences or other interests are granted on community land.

The NSW Crown Land Management Plan 2016 and Local Government Act 1993 requires Council to develop a plan of management for these reserves.

A Plan of Management is developed in consultation with the community and key site users. It generally involves a six-stage process with consultation being undertaken at various stages.

• Stage 1 - Project inception and establishment.
• Stage 2 - Initial site work and consultations.
• Stage 3 - Issues paper and schematic plan.
• Stage 4 - Present paper and concept to council and community.
• Stage 5 - Prepare deliverables.
• Stage 6 - Draft review and finalise for exhibition.

Information obtained during the various consultation processes is used to develop the:

• Landscape Master Plan
• Plan of Management.

A master plan is a visual plan that illustrates the location of existing and future infrastructure, key activities, and includes strategic design principles to show or create integration between a precinct and its broader surroundings.

A master plan is developed through information and feedback obtained during community consultation. The master plan establishes a vision and direction for the reserves, informs development of and supports the Plan of Management.

The Plan of Management provides the legislative framework and management context to enable the delivery of actions identified through the master planning process.