Park plan gets green light – City of Ballarat council meeting briefs

CITY of Ballarat councillors signed off on the Prince of Wales Park Master Plan during their regular meeting on Wednesday last week.

The document is aimed at steering the direction and growth of the recreation reserve which is home to organisations like the Alfredton Baseball Club, the Ballarat Hockey Centre, and the Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre.

While sporting group representatives commended the master plan, almost a dozen submitters, many of whom were Lake Gardens residents, expressed concerns over issues such as loss of green space, lighting, noise, and an imbalance in community consultation.

The 30-metre buffer zone between homes and the proposed new hockey pitches was a particular topic of contention.

However, Hockey Ballarat president Cristin Ruyg said additional pitches would provide a major boost for the sport in the region.

“Since 1992, Prince of Wales Park has been the home and heart of hockey in Ballarat,” she said. “The current single hockey field… is heavily utilised and operates at full capacity during our hockey season.

“This restriction severely limits training availability… impacts player development… and inhibits our ability to provide additional opportunities to our participants.”

Following submissions, Cr Daniel Moloney said though the centrality of the established rec reserve lent itself to further expansion, the plan’s adoption would be more complicated than “sports versus residents.”

Cr Mark Harris said that continued engagement would be needed to ensure equity between both camps.

The motion was passed with all councillors voting in favour with both Cr Tracey Hargreaves and Cr Samantha McIntosh absent due to a conflict of interest, and remote connectivity issues respectively.

Infrastructure plan approved
Councillors approved the latest iteration of their roadmap on how best to deliver and maintain the municipality’s recreational assets for the next 15 years.

The Recreation Infrastructure Plan 2024-2039 was adopted unanimously by council which saw 161 surveys responses and 11 submissions from community during its feedback period.

Cr Hargreaves commended the plan and said it showcased the breadth of the municipality’s sports offerings.

“It does provide information on 17 footy ovals, 17 badminton courts, 19 outdoor netball and 12 indoor netball courts, seven pools, and again there’s much more,” she said.

“Ballarat is a well-resourced growing city and this plan shows us how we can just continue.”

Strategies scrutinised

The implementation of both the municipality’s Ageing Well, and Libraries and Learning strategies were reflected on by councillors.

Both adopted in 2022, the documents are aimed at providing a guide in optimising the region’s offerings for older residents, and library-goers respectively.

“I think all but only a few of our [Ageing Well] objectives have actually been met by the target,” said Cr Moloney.
Cr Belinda Coates said the Libraries and Learning strategy highlighted growing popularity.

“The libraries team in Ballarat do an incredible job in making the space inclusive,” she said.

“What really does stand out in the report is 5000 new members… 2000 of those in that period… around reopening the central library.”

Council policies adopted
Councillors took on a number of policies aimed at bringing a greater level of effectiveness and governance to the municipality.

The documents included the Councillor Expenses and Support, Councillor Information and Communication, Councillor ICT Acceptable Use Procedure, Flag Flying, Councillor Gift, Civic Recognition and Civic Events policies.

Reflection on creative conference
A recent trip in July to Braga in Portugal for two municipal representatives was reflected on by council.

Following the overseas travel of Creative Ballarat’s Tara Poole, and City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson to attend the UNESCO Creative Cities annual meeting, councillors looked back on the excursion.

At an estimated cost of more than $16,000, Cr Hudson said the trip was important to ensure Ballarat’s continued status as a UNESCO Creative City.

“We are one of four creative cities that get to wear the UNESCO branding [in Victoria],” he said.

“As part of our designation… there is an expectation that the city will be represented at the annual conference. Due to COVID, we’ve not been able to honour that commitment.

“This was the first time Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo have been represented. It was the game plan [between all three mayors] to ensure the UNESCO Creative Cities Conference comes to the region.

“We pushed that very hard… and positioned that really well.”