THE CITY of Greater Bendigo may need to revisit long held plans for land near Rosalind Park as Commonwealth Games talks intensify.
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A slew of long-held plans have been thrown into stark relief in the week after the state government announced Barnard Street's Bendigo Bowls Club would host events at the 2026 Games.
That includes the 16 idle tennis courts and the future of the Tom Flood Sports Centre's car park.
Both ideas date back a decade and are included in a master plan for an area stretching from the QEO to Rosalind park and on to Tom Flood's.
The council currently has no plans to reset the master plan, which was adopted in 2014 before the Games were a twinkle in the government's eye.
It is unclear whether that will change as months-old discussions with the government progress.
A council spokesperson has this week said the master plan is a good starting point for the council's thinking.
"[It] will be a helpful start as we wait for further venues to be confirmed and consider what will be required more broadly for Bendigo," they said.
It could be easier to reconcile parts of the master plan with the Games than others.
That includes ideas for the idle Barnard Street tennis courts, which the council has long wanted to give a parkland feel.
It is unclear whether the idle site would host new bowling greens, grandstands, buildings or other infrastructure associated with the Games.
All could potentially clash with the master plan's vision of tree-lined walking paths, lawns and public play spaces.
New structures could also potentially make the Tom Flood oval feel more cut off from the rest of the precinct than it already does.
The Games could also draw new attention to the sports centre's car park and bus interchange.
The 2014 master plan floated the idea of transforming the large bitumen expanse into a lawn and garden space.
The council has never put a date on such a change, or signed off on building works and budgets.
Other ideas floated in the master plan are already taking shape.
Any games organiser worried by the thought of a slime-covered pond stinking out lawn bowl spectators can rest assured the old Bendigo Municipal baths will be spruced up well before 2026.
The pond is currently full of weeds, slime and ibises.
The council expects to begin redevelopment works later this financial year.
In the meantime, it expects to start work on fixing up the Tom Flood oval at the end of the month.
The $1.1 million project is not connected to the Commonwealth Games but is another example of the 2014 master plan at work.
The council wants to ease sports clubs' demands for the nearby QEO by evening up Tom Floods' oval, laying down a single type of grass and installing new drainage.
The works are expected to take place over three and a half months.
The oval and cycling track will close during that time but the bus interchange will operate as normal.
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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.
