Stromlo District Playing Fields

Detailed design is underway for new District Playing Fields which will be located in the southeast corner of the Stromlo Forest Park in the Molonglo Valley.

Current updates

• The amended Development Application (DA) public notification period has now closed.

Overview

The construction of the facility will be delivered in two stages.

Project features

Stage one is anticipated to include:

• full works to prepare the site including earthworks, services, stormwater treatments
• one synthetic grass sportsground consisting of two rectangular fields and one modified AFL oval (that uses the same space)
• a central sports pavilion
• match play LED sportsground lighting to maximise usage opportunities (both training and competition) for a number of outdoor field sports
• a central internal road, carparking
• landscaping including pedestrian footpaths and the planting of trees.

Stage two, subject to funding approval, is anticipated to include:

• one natural grass oval (suitable for AFL) with a centre turf cricket square (with adjoining cricket practice nets)
• one natural grass rectangular field
• LED sportsground lighting for both fields
• additional landscaping requirements.

Community benefits

A new district playing field at Stromlo Forest Park will service the growing Molonglo region and will provide sporting groups and the local community more broadly, with sporting and community facilities to support a diverse range of health and recreational activities .

Planning and approvals

In July 2025 a Development Application (DA) for the project was available for review and comment by the community.

A Consultation Report since has been prepared addressing the comments received on the Stromlo District Playing Fields DA.

Following feedback from entities as well as the community, an amendment to the DA was submitted.

The proposed changes to the project within the DA amendment include:

• Road and traffic upgrades
  • Reduction of the signposted speed on Swallowtail Road from 60 km/hr to 50 km/hr along the frontage of the site with traffic calming measures
  • Installation of a marked pedestrian crossing point beyond the southern leg of the roundabout at Swallowtail Road / Peter Cullen Way. This crossing will connect with the local active travel route that runs through Wright.
• Sewer infrastructure
  • Amendments to the ICON Water sewer design to extend the sewer along Phillip Hodgins Street.
• Telecommunication works:
  • Include Telstra works along the southern and eastern front of the site.
• Stormwater management:
  • Stormwater infrastructure for the synthetic fields and detention basin to be designed to a higher 5% annual exceedance probability (AEP) storm event to address environmental concerns and maximise access and use of the synthetic playing fields.
• Further minor updates:
  • Synthetic Fields Adjustments: Minor reduction in the overall footprint of the synthetic fields to allow football, rugby league, rugby union and AFL to be played year-round without the requirement to remove goal posts.
  • Landscape Design: Update the planting species to accommodate localised batter slope changes and removal of retaining walls to ensure adequate bushfire and maintenance requirements.
  • Active Travel: Improvement to pedestrian connectivity within the site to include an additional raised pedestrian crossing and signpost the site speed to 30 km/hour.

Reports

• Consultation Report - 2025 Development Application for Stromlo District Playing Fields

Find out more

Contact the project team at InfrastructureCanberra@act.gov.au.