CITY TO VOTE ON $28M SPORTS HUB
A MAJOR $28 million sporting precinct is set to be built in Geelong.
City of Greater Geelong councillors will tomorrow night vote on a recommendation to approve the Drysdale Sporting Precinct Master Plan, creating one of the biggest sport and recreation hubs in the municipality.
Major investments earmarked for the precinct include a $4 million pavilion, $2 million worth of improved and additional carparking, a $1.6 million synthetic soccer pitch and $1.5 million for a third full-size oval.
The planned precinct will include three multi-use ovals for football, cricket and soccer, a “premier” soccer pitch, two netball courts with space for an extra two, a massive playground, a ‘learn to ride’ cycling track, large open recreation space and a 2.5km running track around the perimeter.
Space has also been set aside to allow for a $13.8 million 50m outdoor swimming pool to be built in the precinct.
A city report found the region’s “growing community” has put pressure on the existing pair of ovals at the site.
“There are currently competing demands for existing sporting space and projected population growth and increases in junior sports participation indicate that more sporting facilities are required on this site,” the report noted.
Final plans come after an eight-week community consultation period held last year which resulted in several changes, such as the provision for a synthetic soccer pitch.
“Following the consultation period, officers undertook to have an independent ‘synthetic turf feasibility study’ completed which concluded that a synthetic pitch constructed at the Drysdale sporting precinct would provide significant benefit to not only the user-groups at the precinct but also for the wider Geelong community,” the report noted.
Football Victoria had advised the city an extra 21 pitches would be “desirable” for the municipality by 2036 to keep up with growing local participation in the world game.
The total estimated cost of the remaining four stages of the project is $28 million.
Funding pledges from both levels of government will be used to build the precinct, including $5 million from the State Government and $3.5 million from the Federal Government, which has also pledged $10 million for a Bellarine swimming pool.