A MARONG club should move to make way for "substantial" changes at Malone Park, council officers say.
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The recommendation comes despite opposition from nearly half the people who took part in recent community consultations.
City of Greater Bendigo councillors will decide on Monday whether to back a master plan for the 43 hectare Malone Park sporting precinct.
They could also order a search for facilities that the Marong Light Harness Club could move to.
That would pave the way for council to turn the trotting track next to a Malone Park oval into other sporting facilities, council staff said.
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The draft master plan does not provide key dates for any moves but does suggest any trotting track changes should be a high priority.
Council officers say Marong's population could quadruple to 8000 people by 2045, underscoring the need to plan the replacement of ageing facilities now.
One solution could be to move equestrian groups 20 minutes up the road to Sebastian, or another place yet to be determined.
Council officers said several groups that use the current facilities would prefer to stay put.
They have warned that facilities at Sebastian would need major upgrades to be suitable.
The Marong Light Harness Club has warned the council those changes could trigger its disbandment.
More on this story: Marong club fights to retain its trotting track
Moving the club could free up space for the equivalent of two-extra football grounds in a suburb with higher-than-average numbers of Australian Rules players and multiple sporting clubs.
Councillors could decide to let the harness club stay at Malone Park.
That would raise the possibility of the centre of the harness racing track being transformed into a public sports ground complete with irrigation, potential lights and other changes.
Council staff cautioned against that idea.
"[It] would result in a compromised development that would severely impact both the operation of the harness track and the proposed sporting surface, increase the cost of development, and potentially stop all use of the track through the development of the sporting surface," they said.
Councillors could also vote to do nothing.
That could lead to haphazard improvements over time and problems as more people tried to use older facilities, council officers said.
Council officers and consultants have made several changes to other parts of the master plan since it was put out for community consultation.
That includes extra car parking space and keeping a play space near Marong's pool, rather than relying solely on one in another part of the reserve.
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