Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre. Photo: Melinda Jane.
Penrith City Councillors have ordered the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre and Penrith District Basketball Association to enter mediation to resolve their ongoing dispute.
Council will pay for the mediation that would aim to have basketball return to the stadium in the near future.
Councillors tonight supported deferring a $1.6 million loan to the centre until January next year while it awaits the outcome of any mediation.
If mediation is not reached, Council would expect payments of the loan to begin.
Council also rejected a request from PVRSC for $400,000 in extra funding to support structural change in its operating model.
The decision has been made during an unusual meeting of Penrith City Council tonight that saw the meeting go behind closed doors twice – once for an hour – to discuss matters of confidential business.
It is the latest twist in the dispute between the Centre and Penrith District Basketball Association, which has resulted in the city’s primary basketball competition being left in tatters.
MORE TO COME
Troy Dodds is the Weekender’s Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news – primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.