IT appears that land behind MacKillop College will be able to be used for new soccer fields after all.
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Bathurst Regional Council purchased the land within the last five years, with the intention of using it to expand the facilities at Proctor Park.
However, when Bathurst's water crisis hit, council decided to repurpose that land and planned to use it as the site of the ponds needed for the stormwater harvesting scheme.
Following significant rainfall in the last 12 months, which got Chifley Dam back to 100 per cent, council was able to take more time to develop its plans for the scheme.
As council has worked through the process, the route has changed and there is now no longer a need for the land behind MacKillop College in the scheme.
Director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss, explained the situation at council's meeting in April.
"As part of the design and development, the ponds were actually relocated," he said.
"They were originally planned for the back of MacKillop College and those ponds are actually at the start of the pipeline at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, so there's additional ponding available to us should we need it, but at this stage we don't believe we will need to at the back of MacKillop."
Deputy mayor Ian acknowledged that the land was "handy to have" when Bathurst was facing its water crisis, but wanted to know if that land could be used for the expansion of Proctor Park as initially intended.
Mr Sturgiss was coy in his response, but indicated that it would be used for the soccer fields in future.
"At this stage I won't rule out that area for use for water security, but there is a potential that it may be actually used for the purpose we originally purchased it for," he said.
The topic is the land was brought up at the meeting due to reports about water security and the stormwater harvesting scheme itself being on the agenda.
Council has resolved to make an application for the compulsory acquisition of Crown Land for the creation of an easement, and to approve the transfer of an unconstructed Crown road from the Crown to Council.
The preliminary design identifies a proposed route that varies to previous routes including a preferred route along the Macquarie River between Gordon Edgell Bridge, Hereford Street and Evans Bridge, Kendall Avenue.
Expressions of interest for the construction of the stormwater harvesting scheme have closed.
Council will invite a maximum of four tenderers to submit formal tenders for consideration.
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