Support for water park application

Horsham’s riverfront and gardens area will undergo a $3-million transformation if a council application for State Government money is successful.

Horsham Rural City Council applied for $2.987-million through Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program to develop a Horsham Regional Water Play Park.

It endorsed an officer recommendation on Monday night to apply for the money to avoid missing a narrow three-week application period.

If successful, the council will add $350,000 from a $1.4-million Federal Government Local Road and Community Infrastructure Program grant to ensure the project occurs without a cost to ratepayers. The only council cost would involve asset maintenance.

Work on the proposed park could start early next year.

Horsham Botanic Gardens, an established urban black-box woodland, Horsham Caravan Park, Horsham City Rowing Club rooms and Adventure

Park are in the vicinity of a proposed site for the development.

A water-based park, unlike some other aspects of the council’s City to River Masterplan, has attracted significant community support.

Planning and design work – including formalising a final park site which will involve further community consultation and engagement – is still underway.

Communities and place director Kevin O’brien, responding to councillor questions at the meeting, spoke in depth about a combination of planning, community engagement and project-funding protocols surrounding the move.

Cr John Robinson, concerned about public sentiment involving the river environment, and poor survey results relating to council community consultation, voted against the recommendation.

Cr David Grimble, with concerns about community involvement in a final park site and design, provided guarded support, while other councillors enthusiastically voted in favour.