The development next to Sir Jack Brabham Park will create a parkland setting with walking trails, recreation and meeting areas, BBQ spaces and water features.

The draft masterplan is now on public display on Orange City Council's website.

It shows the location of facilities such as the 1500-seat stadium alongside Forest Road and a specialist athletics track next to Huntley Road.

It also includes barbecue areas, shade structures, a natural creek drainage system, pedestrian and cycle networks, meeting places and seating in a parkland setting.

Mayor Reg Kidd said he thought the plans were "absolutely fantastic."

"This project has been on the drawing boards for a long, long time," he said.

"There's been an incredible amount of community consultation and input into this.

"You know there has been a lot of misinformation that's been circulated around in the community about what it is and where it's going to be.

"We are not talking about in the Bloomfield grounds and I personally will do my best to protect everything within those grounds."

He added that 784 new trees will be planted on the site, with eucalypts as well as gumtrees among the 112 trees that will be kept.

There are another 18 trees that will be transplanted in Orange from the site.

"I can tell you that the majority, not all, are radiata pine," he said.

"It's interesting to see the narrative change that radiata pines are good trees and that birds nest in them," the mayor added

"It's not true and I've got a horticulture degree in this so I think I do know a little bit about what I'm talking about."

As for a timeframe, that's a little less clear.

"As soon as we have a break in the weather and as soon as the contractors are ready to go," Cr Kidd added.

"If you would've asked me six months ago is COVID coming to an end I would've said yes and I would've been wrong. I'm not going to take a guess at exactly when because it depends on the weather."

But not all are pleased.

Lesley Smith is a candidate in the upcoming council election and was also at the launch.

She said "it was never about the trees."

"No one disagrees with anything they have said about sporting precincts. We're building what is a great stadium but I see it as in the wrong place because it's self-limiting," she said.

"What we need to be thinking is 10, 20, 30 years and it will no longer meet the needs of here."

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