General News
1 July, 2023
Central sports hub sidelined
Rather than seek to establish a single state-of-the-art central sporting hub, Horsham Rural City Council will upgrade three existing sites comprising indoor and outdoor courts, hockey and soccer pitches, cricket ovals and an athletics track. Council...
Rather than seek to establish a single state-of-the-art central sporting hub, Horsham Rural City Council will upgrade three existing sites comprising indoor and outdoor courts, hockey and soccer pitches, cricket ovals and an athletics track.
Council voted four to three on Monday to endorse a recommendation that it develop individual venues to the north, south and west of the city.
Initiated in August 2021 and carried out over 18 months, the Wimmera Regional Multi-Sport Precinct Feasibility Study found that land for a sports centre, such as that created recently in Mildura, was not available locally and, if purchased, would be a “significant expense” to ratepayers.
Instead, it proposed that Horsham adopt a “distributed model” of facilities.
The survey considered input from 13 state sporting associations representing athletics, badminton, basketball, cricket, football (including AFL Victoria), gymnastics, hockey, netball, squash, table tennis, tennis and volleyball.
Local clubs were also consulted.
Ten shortlisted sites were analysed, from which high-level concept designs were ultimately prepared for three preferred parcels of land where sport is already played: at Dimboola Road, Haven Recreation Reserve and Dudley W Cornell Park.
The total cost of expanding all three sites is estimated in today's terms at $56.595 million – $36.6 million for Dimboola Road, $12.2 million for Haven Recreation Reserve and $7.7 million for Dudley W Cornell Park – with preparation and construction to be carried out in stages.
However, Cr Les Power said he did not accept that Horsham should have to accept such a compromise when Mildura had just received funding for a new multi-sport complex.
“What's the difference between Mildura and us?” Cr Power asked.
“If we don't stand up, if we don't say something, then we're never going to get it.
“I really want to see a regional sports centre that will accommodate our sports and will put Horsham on the map.
“We are halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide but no-one seems to get that point.”
Cr Claudia Haenel agreed: “It feels like our community has lost, potentially, its once-in-a-three-generation opportunity to build a hero for Horsham to last for the next 50 to 100 years.”
Mayor Robyn Gulline said she envisaged council staff would produce schematic designs in the coming 12 months so that the rural city would be able to begin lobbying for funding for the project in the run-up to the next state and federal government elections.
“I can't start advocating for it until we have it shovel-ready,” Cr Gulline said.
For details visit https://www.hrcc.vic.gov.au/Our-Council/Current-Projects/Wimmera-Regional-Multi-Sport-Feasibility-Study