Out of bounds: Sporting groups push changes to reserve master plan

SPORTING clubs and user groups of Portarlington’s recreation reserve are urging the City of Greater Geelong to change its plan to lock away more than half of the reserve from any future development.

According to the reserve’s draft masterplan, which is expected to be finalised in January, the large space in the reserve west of the two ovals and next to the Point Richards Flora and Fauna Reserve is designated a “Passive Recreation Area”.

Portarlington’s football, cricket and other sports clubs are concerned the masterplan would make building any needed sports facilities in that space very difficult if not impossible, and asked Portarlington Community Association president Geoff Fary to convene a public meeting on the issue.

Mr Fary said about 80 people attended the meeting on Wednesday last week, including Bellarine Ward councillors Stephanie Asher, Trent Sullivan and Jim Mason, four City of Greater Geelong officers, and a representative from the office of Bellarine MP Lisa Neville.

The meeting passed a resolution that the reserve’s users believe “environmental protection legislation was not intended to lock away from active use long-established community recreation areas”.

“In this case therefore the entire area of the current Portarlington Recreation Reserve must remain intact and no unreasonable environmental constraints, legislative or otherwise, be put in place to hinder any future potential popularly supported sporting or active recreational development and community needs,” the resolution states

The resolution called for five changes to the draft masterplan, including clearing a 30-metre buffer area on the western side of Oval 2 for access and safety, and making the reserve’s western half a “planned and managed area designed to provide for future uses along with sensible environmental management and protection”.

Mr Fary said the resolution represented the strong sentiment of the meeting.

“The sports clubs alone constitute some 1,500 people out of our total population, so that’s a pretty large swathe of the town, and I think it reflects their frustration that they’ve been unable to have implemented into the masterplan a couple of key issues they’re keen to see in it.”

He said city officers said the future direction laid out in the masterplan was influenced by state government environmental legislation.

“I think it was the view of the meeting that (those there) were somewhat incredulous that legislation that was designed to protect the environment would have the effect of actually carving off more than half of a 150-year-old recreation reserve.”

The city’s director of community life Robyn Stevens said the two key themes emerging from the community feedback to the draft master plan were protecting environmental values and sporting and recreation activity.

“We believe the masterplan goes a long way to achieving both.

“The masterplan uses data and projections out to 2041 to ensure the needs of sporting clubs are protected and they can continue to grow and develop in the reserve.”

For more information or to download the draft master plan, head to the City of Greater Geelong’s “Your Say” website.