Chadstone Bowls Club members to stand their ground over netball stadium
A SPORTING battle is brewing in Melbourne’s east, with members of a bowls club saying they will not move to make way for a netball stadium.
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CHADSTONE Bowls Club members are adamant they won’t leave their site in Malvern East without a fight.
Last November, Stonnington Council announced plans for a feasibility study to assess the site’s use for a new sport stadium comprising at least four multipurpose courts. Club members were concerned the plans would force them to move.
But club president Nigel Maxwell said members had dug in their heels and were not entertaining the idea of relocating.
RELATED: Site option for new netball courts
“We’ve got a great community in the area, and we’ve got quite a lot of people who come to use the club,” Mr Maxwell said.
“The council haven’t had any dialogue with us at all. We sort of get the impression that, without consultation, the council have already come to some sort of a decision.”
Malvern East’s Rebekah Clark co-founded the Residents Against the Stadium Facebook group to inform her neighbours about the proposal.
Traffic and parking were already an issue in the area, which is situated near Chadstone shopping centre, she said, and the addition of a large sports venue would exacerbate the problem.
The plans for a new stadium follow a long campaign led by Margaret Connellan of the Prahran Netball Association for netball courts to service more than 1500 players.
Currently there are just two netball courts in Stonnington, one of which is undersized and Ms Connellan said juniors from the municipality’s East Ward desperately needed a space to play.
Higgins federal Liberal MP Kelly O’Dwyer announced a $4 million commitment by the Federal Government to help build the stadium last June.
And Stonnington Council earmarked $7.2 million over four years in its 2015-16 budget to build new netball courts.
Stonnington Council chief executive Warren Roberts said the council had engaged independent consultants to liaise with the bowls club and other sport and recreational facilities.
“Council has met with the bowls club in person to discuss the proposal and the ongoing consultation process,” he said.
“The consultants will produce an independent report that assesses the current situation of the bowls club and make recommendations to council.”
The stadium’s impact on traffic and parking will also be assessed as part of the study, which Mr Roberts said would take at least six months to complete.
Find out more about the bowls club’s cause at chadstonebowls.com.au/save-chaddy-bowls
To find out more about the proposed sports stadium visit connectstonnington.
vic.gov.au/stadium
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