The draft masterplan for Victoria Park has been released, with Council to vote tonight on whether the plans are ready to move to public exhibition.
The plans include recommendations for upgrades and improvements to the main oval, JA Allen Oval, two additional tennis courts, the current access to the grounds from Laidlaw Street, car parking areas, upgrades to the caravan park, and two new basketball courts.
Perhaps the biggest winner from the drafted plans is Yass Junior Rugby Union Club, as Victoria Park would hold two full-sized rugby fields. President Josh Leighton expressed his satisfaction with the news.
“The issue for us is when we’ve only had the one field, when we have older teams playing, the 12’s and up, generally they’re put on at the same time. So, any team travelling to Yass we’ve got to try and put them on later, and what it ends up meaning is some teams and clubs aren’t willing to come out later, and we end up having to forfeit or cancel games.”
“The big thing is that it allows us to hold more games for our gala days. At the moment every club in Canberra gets at least two gala days a year. When we get ours I’ve actually got to get rid of half the games.”
“It has a big financial impact on the club and having those two fields there will make a huge difference,” he said.
The plans also include better weed control, revegetation and a walking/bike track of the overgrown Riverbank area.
Should Council proceed with the masterplan, they will seek broader consultation from the community and, in particular, with the main user groups of the facilities.
NSW Crown Lands has provided funding for the project, but it is unclear at this time how much the total project will cost.
Max O’Driscoll
