Stribling Reserve pavilions to undergo redevelopment

THE much-anticipated redevelopment of the Stribling Reserve pavilions in Lorne will begin imminently, with the Surf Coast Shire council having awarded contacts for the works earlier in the month.

In the coming days, work will begin on the new netball pavilion, with it expected to be finished by January 2021.

The main pavilion will be upgraded later, with its redevelopment expected to be completed by June 2021. The final details of its design will likely be available for the community to give feedback on later in the year.

Lorne Football Netball Club vice president and Stribling Reserve Committee member Carly Enticott said the community had benefited from the agency they have been given in shaping the project.

“Back in 2015, when we started talking about what this space could look like, it was a fantastic consultation process with lots of different age groups, lots of different thought processes, and then that’s when the Stribling Reserve Master Plan was created.

“I really feel it has been a community driven project, and the involvement all the way through has been fantastic.”

The redevelopment will cost a total of $6.5 million. The council and the federal government will each fund half of the project.

Lorne Ward councilor Clive Goldsworthy said the new developments would make the facilities a more flexible space.

“The upgraded main pavilion will meet AFL facility development guidelines and include a new second level with northern entry, community spaces and commercial kitchen, the inclusion of unisex amenities to promote increased use by the school and female sporting participants, and provision of new public toilets. It can also be used by the wider community as a space to hire.”

Ms Enticott said the committee was looking for the facilities to server a wider range of people for which they were initially built.

“We’re looking at a really highly useable space for our wider community. The school are a major user group of it as well, that’s their oval and they use it for PE.

“Looking at the main pavilion, there are currently no female change room facilities there. So when the schools used it girls just can’t get changed.

“It was designed for the football club in the early eighties and there just wasn’t that thought process that we would have such high participation rates from females. Now there is a drive and a need for it.

“It is fantastic that we’ve got the Surf Coast Shire and the great community working to develop these facilities for everyone.”