Plans for a new aquatic centre at Taylor Oval have reached a key heritage assessment stage, with Moree Plains Shire Council waiting for a Heritage NSW decision on whether archaeological testing can take place.
Taylor Oval is the proposed location for Moree’s new aquatic centre, but it is also registered on the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System as “Taylor Oval Burial”. Previous investigations have left uncertainty about that registration, and Heritage NSW has advised that further archaeological testing is needed as part of the heritage assessment for the proposed aquatic centre.
At its September 17 Ordinary Council Meeting, Council accepted a preliminary Aboriginal cultural heritage report and noted that an application for an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit had already been lodged on August 25. The permit is required before the proposed archaeological testing can take place.
The testing is intended to determine whether archaeological deposits are present and provide more evidence about the status and extent of the registered burial site.
The heritage issue dates back to concerns raised during earlier plans to redevelop Taylor Oval. A 1903 Moree Gwydir Examiner report described the discovery of the remains of two Aboriginal people near the Moree Cricket Ground, and Taylor Oval was subsequently registered on the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System as a burial site.
A 2007 review concluded that prehistoric Aboriginal burials beneath Taylor Oval and Park were unlikely, although they could not be completely ruled out. Later investigations also did not conclusively resolve the status of the registered site, leaving the uncertainty the proposed testing is intended to investigate.
The preliminary heritage report also records Aboriginal community consultation undertaken as part of the current assessment process. Concerns were raised about excavation, the possible disturbance of burials and future development at Taylor Oval, while participants stressed the site’s cultural significance was not limited to whether physical evidence of burials was found.
Council’s acceptance of the preliminary report does not authorise archaeological excavation or construction of the aquatic centre. If Heritage NSW approves the permit, the testing can proceed and its findings will be incorporated into a final Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report.
The results will help determine how the Taylor Oval aquatic centre can proceed from a heritage perspective. Depending on what is found, they could influence the design of the development, the heritage measures required and how the project is delivered.
Council’s Director of Planning and Development Poul Tvermoes told the September meeting Heritage NSW’s assessment was expected to conclude around mid-November.
If the permit is approved, he said archaeological testing was expected to begin around the end of November and take about one to two weeks.
