UPDATE 5.20pm: Council has left the door open to renewed discussions on the future of grass tennis at Barnard Street in its draft hard court strategy.
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The council’s coordinator of strategy and policy Matt Kerlin said there were no plans to turn older tennis and netball courts back into open space.
However, the strategy did float an idea to engage with Tennis Victoria and the Bendigo Tennis Association about possibly relocating the courts.
Rethinking how the space was used came up as the Rosalind Park Master Plan was formed in 2014.
“It might come back that the Bendigo Tennis Association says ‘we don’t want to investigate that’, and we’d reconsider whether we would leave it in there (the draft hard court strategy) or not,” Mr Kerlin said.
He said the strategy did not foreshadow the decommissioning of sites. Instead it gave a framework to consider how to prioritise ageing infrastructure that was in poor condition, such as in Station Street, Kangaroo Flat.
“So, it’s about whether we need to reinvest in those sorts of places. Or do we instead invest that money in other sites where there is a demonstrated need?”
“At the moment sites get left to the end of their life, then get reinvested in because that’s where they’ve always been,” Mr Kerlin said.
“There’s never been any broader consideration about greatest need.”
EARLIER: The City of Greater Bendigo’s draft hard court strategy has flagged the need for prioritising projects, and to review whether ageing tennis and netball facilities can be returned to being public open spaces.
The Hard Court Facilities Strategy 2018-2028 was prepared by consultants insideEDGE Sport and Leisure Planning for the council.
Among its key focus areas, the strategy floated entering discussions with Tennis Victoria and the Bendigo Tennis Association to investigate the possible reduction or relocation of grass courts at Barnard Street.
It also noted the council and other stakeholders would need to invest “significant resources and funding to address identified need” in the next decade.
The strategy put forward a criteria for considering whether facilities needed to be reviewed at the end of their lifespan and become public open spaces.
It stated that the condition of facilities, existing usage, provision ratios and community engagement would need to be factored into any decision not to renew a facility.
Here are the draft strategy’s key focus areas:
“This will ensure that resources are used efficiently and directed to the facilities where there is a clear need and demand,” the strategy stated.
The draft strategy proposed a list of criteria based on whether current facilities met state sporting association standards, how many people benefited from them, policy and club development, value for money and geography.
Over supply of tennis courts in some areas, under supply in others
There was currently an over supply of tennis courts in low population areas like Elmore and the municipality’s rural north, as well as Long Gully, West Bendigo and Ironbark.
Meanwhile, there was an under supply of courts in growth areas like Maiden Gully, Kangaroo Flat and Strathfieldsaye.
Among other findings, the strategy flagged:
- A shortage of lit courts for training and night competition
- An increasing need to upskill volunteers to deliver local competitions and manage and maintain facilities
- A preference for acrylic courts due to playability, multi-use and reduced maintenance
- And a lack adequate player and spectator amenities especially for females
Single and two court tennis facilities located in outer suburbs and townships were locked up, had limited use and were not being maintained, the council’s active health lifestyles manager Lincoln Fitzgerald said.
“There is also a shortage of tennis coaches which often makes it difficult for clubs and sports to thrive,” he said.
“We also discovered that not all clubs are affiliated with their state body and this creates challenges around facility usage, insurance and club development support.”
The 10-year strategy aimed to increase access to local facilities by providing more social and casual use opportunities.
The strategy would do this by: supporting local clubs through the ongoing renewal and upgrade of facilities; ensure facilities responded to the current and future demands for netball and tennis; and improve the capacity and sustainability of local clubs and associations through stronger partnerships and governance.
Netball was currently the area’s ninth most popular activity, According to the council’s 2014 Active Living Census. Tennis was the eleventh.
The Bendigo Advertiser has contacted the council for further comment.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
