Photo by Curtis Galbraith.

By Curtis Galbraith

Recreation

City Hall to look at possible new location for cricket practice cage

Jan 30, 2024 | 6:00 AM

City Council has asked administration to look into a new location for a cricket batting cage currently located in Head & Salmond Park in the Royal Oaks neighbourhood.

Three residents spoke to council at its meeting Monday about the cage, saying it was very noisy and a hazard to people using a nearby playground, walking path, and picnic tables.

Colin Woodcock was one of the people that spoke to council.

“The noise is unbearable. I can’t even hang out in my backyard.”

“I thought it was a real novelty to have a cricket pitch in (a) park in my backyard, and then they built this practice pitch and it’s not enjoyable at all anymore.”

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Ken Westgarde lives near the same park and also spoke to council Monday.

“(I’m) Disappointed with the location of the batting cage, given the opportunity for them to put it in a different location that is much more suitable for the neighbours that live there and for the people that use the park, so it doesn’t pose a risk form getting hit (by) a ball.”

Westgarde is hoping the cage can be moved.

“Move it to the other side and the bottom line is if there’s no suitable location, there’s no suitable location, right? A bad location is a bad location, doesn’t matter where you put it.”

The delegations had suggested moving the pitch to the south side of the park, but Deputy Mayor Gladys Blackmore says that would not work.

“When this came to committee before, we did get a report from our administration, which indicated that moving the pitch to the south location is not possible because of the slope of the land that’s there.”

Blackmore says the hope is a report will show why the cricket pitch needs to be in that location.

“Maybe we can identify other spaces on that site for a cricket pitch or maybe we can identify other spaces that are altogether different.”

The delegations also said they were not consulted before the location for the cage was picked.

Blackmore says council has been trying to do this and to listen to all opinions.

“You look for those weaknesses, which seems like was not identified, those weaknesses were not identified in this process, so we do need to back up a step and look at that.”

One of the people that spoke to council suggested that $6,000 in the city budget set aside for a fence to protect the playground, could instead be used to move the cage.

Administration will report back to a city committee.