Bowls club eyes park land

TORQUAY Bowls Club wants to expand on crown land in Taylor Park in a move that has angered locals who want the park’s natural beauty preserved.

The Torquay Bowls Club has occupied a parcel of crown land within Taylor Park, which is managed by the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee, since the 1920s.

It is applying for a third green as GORCC undertakes its Taylor Park Master Plan review.

A GORCC report says the expansion would encroach on 0.5 per cent or 300sq m of the crown land park area.

Greater Torquay Alliance president Andrew Cherubin said the group was against any incremental loss of parkland.

“It’s 0.5 per cent now but what happens when the Torquay population hits 25,000? Are they going to build another green?” he said.

“People feel connected to the park, they like that it’s a little bit rough and it’s more natural and bushy-looking.”

Locals took to Facebook to lament the bowls club’s plans, with a post about the issue attracting more than 170 comments, including a majority of people against the bowls club redevelopment.

Mr Cherubin said locals felt the park was a “little haven in the middle of suburbia”.

In an open letter, the Torquay Bowls Club board of management implored its members to support the proposal.

“Demand for bowls facilities has increased dramatically in the past five years, and so too has the need for a friendly, welcoming social outlet,” it said. “A third green would help meet the bowls demand and improve the facilities for all members, bowling and non-bowling alike.”

The letter said that although there was no fixed timescale for creating a third green, the proposal must be part of the GORCC master plan.

Torquay Bowls Club general manager Peter Temple said the club had outgrown its facilities and needed to expand in line with rising membership.

GORCC reports show the bowls club is also planning to increase its carparking with 10 overflow spaces which would require an additional 210m2 of crown land reserve.

“Club membership has expanded to over 1000, and to meet existing and future needs, the club has prepared its own master plan — submitted to the Great Ocean Road Coastal Committee in May 2018,” the report says.

Mr Cherubin said the club’s expansion would result in a loss of 40-50 per cent of its car parks, which would increase existing pressure on nearby streets.

More than 40 bird species have been recorded in the park as well as sugar gums, eucalyptus, pine, cypress and exotic trees which also provide potential habitat for the nationally significant Swift Parrot.

GORCC is undertaking a renewal of the 2000 Taylor Park Master Plan, to establish a vision for the park, manage pressures, and to guide staged improvements over the next 10-15 years.

People can submit feedback on the Taylor Park Master Plan on the GORCC website.