Stonnington Council suggests site for new netball courts

A NEW indoor sports stadium that will house much needed netball courts is one step closer after Stonnington Council earmarked a potential site — but not everyone is happy.

There’s a big demand for netball courts in Prahran and surrounding suburbs. Picture: Paul Loughnan

A NEW indoor sports stadium that will house much-needed netball courts is one step closer after Stonnington Council earmarked a potential site – but not everyone is happy.

Leader has run its Support for Courts campaign seeking new netball courts in Stonnington since 2013, and last week councillors voted to proceed with a feasibility study that will investigate whether the Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park in Malvern East – site of the Chadstone Bowls Club – is an appropriate location for the stadium, which will have at least four courts.

But Cr Judy Hindle opposed the proposal, citing insufficient consultation with the bowls club.

“I think $100,000 to conduct a feasibility study on something that is so widely unpopular ... is a complete waste of money,” she said. “We should have gone to the Chadstone Bowls Club and said this is what we want to do and why ... and then we could have made a decision in the open.”

Cr Sally Davis said she supported the study, adding that its purpose was to assess the park’s merit as a location for the stadium, and a final decision was yet to be made.

In a media release, Stonnington Mayor Jami Klisaris said the site was a good location for the stadium as it had access to public transport and sufficient space for car parking.

Speaking to the Leader after the meeting, bowls club president Nigel Maxwell said members were reluctant to move and he would express that view to the council.

“We were invited to a meeting and they told us investigations had been going on in the background and their decision was to go ahead with the feasibility study,” he said.

“In the period of the feasibility study, we’ll of course be saying that we don’t want to go anywhere.”

Club member Denise Wallish said the club’s fight was not with the Prahran Netball Association, but said the council should respect the bowlers.

She said if the council thought “we’re just a bunch of crusty old bowlers about to drop off the perch, they’re wrong”.

Prahran Netball Association has campaigned for new courts for the past 30 years. There are just two netball courts in the area – one of which is undersized – to service more than 1300 players.

Earlier this year, Higgins federal Liberal MP Kelly O’Dwyer committed $4 million to building new courts.

Netball association junior rep co-ordinator Margaret Connellan said she was “over the moon” with the council’s decision, calling it a win for the community.

“This is an indoor facility for all Stonnington residents,” Ms Connellan said. She was also confident the council would work with the bowls club to find it an alternative site.

Stonnington chief executive Warren Roberts said two years of research had identified the park as an ideal location, and the bowls club had already been briefed. It is anticipated the study will begin in January.