- Phillip Island draft sports masterplan released for comment

THE Bass Coast Shire Council has released its draft Master Plan for a new sporting and recreation precinct for Phillip Island, located on the corner of Phillip Island Road and Ventnor Road in Cowes.

Two sports ovals, netball and tennis courts, an aquatic centre to be developed in two stages and a large events area are features of the plan.

But locals have been quick to point out that the traditional country football experience, of parking cars at least partway around the main oval has been done away with for an avenue of trees, around most of the ground.

The Engage Bass Coast website welcomes comments. Here are some already posted:

• Cheryl says: Is there room for parking around the ground? This is country footy that's what we do in the country.

• LindaM says: There must be parking around the ground to accommodate spectators. This is traditional for country football games.

Apparently earlier versions of the plan provided for the cars.

It’s not a revolutionary idea.

Every major sports ground in Gippsland has space for cars to be parked around and at Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills for the AFL’s highly successful Gather Round, at least part of the ground allows patrons to drive up and watch the game from the car.

This is especially welcomed by parents who arrive early, often before 8am on junior footy days, in the middle of winter, to bring their kids to play, and maybe go back to the car with a coffee if the weather is especially inclement.

But, overall, the community has welcomed this step forward in the provision of much-needed sports facilities for a fast-growing local community, and also the burgeoning visitor economy.

At the 2021 Census, Phillip Island had a population of 13,799, with 3,657 families. Of that, there are 16.7 per cent of the population in the 10-29 age group, likely to use the sports ovals for active, organised sports, a total of 2318 possible participants, plus their support groups.

This number is greatly expanded by former residents and regular visitors who "come home" to get their weekend sporting fix - a fact that the State Government needs to be aware of when providing funding for this important urban-interface facility.

At the moment, sporting clubs on Phillip Island are heavily oversubscribed, especially with juniors, but with one oval, one community high-ball stadium and no public pool.

'Drop in' consultation times

These and other things can be canvassed at three community consultation drop-in sessions scheduled at Olive Justice Place, Cowes on:

• Thursday, 27 April 2023 10.00am – 12.00pm
• Saturday, 29 April 2023 9.00am – 11.00am
• Wednesday, 3 May 2023 12.00pm – 2.00pm

Some busy local families might find an issue with those times as well.

Here’s a list of what has been included in the masterplan:

• Two-way reserve entry (signalled intersection in the long-term) to service the car park and ambulance and maintenance vehicle access to Oval.
• Fenced dog off-lead area to include agility equipment, bench seating and water points, and divided to include a smaller compound for smaller/young dogs and programming (such as dog obedience training), with the balance for larger/active dogs
• Dog park entrances (double-gates)
• New lake with pedestrian path circuit (including a boardwalk), and water outflow when required
• Sealed car park (351 spaces) with passive irrigation solutions for tree watering
• Main entry gate into Oval 1 precinct
• Enclosed cricket practice nets (4 lanes, synthetic surface), with power bollard
• Oval 1 with sub-surface drainage and irrigation, a perimeter fence, concrete cricket wicket, LED floodlights (200 lux), player boxes, and goal nets
• Electronic scoreboard
• Construct spectator viewing berm along the west side of Oval 1 with three spectator shelters and an elevated broadcasting booth
• Concrete path with bench seating around the oval perimeter fence Reserve-Wide Projects
• Overflow car parking area for Oval 1, when required
• Single level pavilion raised approx. 1.0 metre and incorporating change rooms to service both ovals and the netball courts, a community social room with kitchen/ canteen/ bar, internal and external storage, external public toilets, and an extended verandah towards both ovals for spectators
• Vehicle access to the pavilion for deliveries and Accessible car parking
• Local level playground available for public use on non-event days through the adjacent perimeter fence
• Netball courts with player/ scorer shelters and LED floodlights to competition standard (200 lux)
• Oval 2 with sub-surface drainage and irrigation, unfenced, potential turf centre wicket table, LED floodlights to training standard (100 lux), player boxes, and goal nets
• Little Athletics field events area (2 x shot put circles, long/ triple jumpo, throwing cage)
• Open space area that can function as an Events Space (and incorporate Oval 2, if required), with two water connection points and two 3-phase power connection points at locations to be determined 20.Community Open Space incorporating a Township level playspace, BBQ/ picnic shelter, public toilet, a multipurpose court (tennis hit-up wall, basketball, netball), and a Sub-Regional level skate facility and pump track in line with relevant Council strategies
• Existing dam to be fenced with adjacent vegetation for habitat
• Tennis courts with sand-filled synthetic grass surface provided in two 4 court enclosures, with 4 courts floodlitTwo soccer pitches: the east (main) pitch with a 1.0 metre high perimeter fence and LED floodlights to competition standard (100 lux); the second pitch unfenced and with LED floodlights to training standard (100 lux)
• One multipurpose unfenced rectangular pitch capable of accommodating soccer, the rugby codes and touch
• Shared pavilion for tennis and field user groups and incorporating change rooms, a community social room with kitchen/ canteen/ bar, internal and external storage, external public toilets, and an extended verandah towards the tennis courts and the main soccer pitch
• Sealed car park (360 spaces) with passive irrigation solutions for tree watering
• Aquatic Leisure Centre to be delivered in two stages (aquatics facilities and stadium) in line with relevant Council strategies
• Two-way reserve entry from Phillip Island Road (signalled intersection in the long-term).

According to the shire, the principles of the project are to create a new 80-acre sporting and recreation precinct that is built on the foundations of sustainability, partnerships, adaptability, diversity, strategic alignment and participation.

“The aim of the Master Plan is to provide Phillip Island and surrounds with the essential recreation facilities needed to improve the health and wellbeing of the local community as well as visitors. This project looks to consolidate and relocate current sporting infrastructure on Phillip Island to the new site,” according to the shire.

“The Master Plan has been designed to incorporate the future needs of sporting, recreation facilities and public open spaces. Council have worked with key stakeholders to develop a draft master plan concept and are now seeking feedback from the community.”

A project page has been set up on Council’s Engage Bass Coast platform that will keep the community informed of the progress of this exciting project. For further information, go to: https://engage.basscoast.vic.gov.au/cowesrr