The future of the JC Lowe Oval precinct is now clearer with Moira Shire Council adopting a masterplan for the precinct.
The Master Plan details the history of the site and current use to provide context and to support planning for appropriate future developments, while also supporting council in prioritising improvement projects, considering allocation of capital funds and provide a foundation for future funding applications for the site’s development.
It will also provide a footprint for the development plans for users of the site and maximise public benefit for passive recreation.
As part of the masterplan, 24 development priorities were identified alongside costings with the need for improved drainage and the area between the clubrooms and netball court to be sealed, the main priorities.
Yarrawonga Football Netball Club president and Community Advisory Group (CAG) Chair Ross Mulquiney welcomed the adoption of the masterplan, saying it largely matched the CAG’s vision in many respects.
“It is rewarding the shire has so readily adopted so much of the community group’s planning within this document and formalised the planning for the zone,” he said.
“Our short-term priorities have been to name the access road so that emergency services can identify distress calls from the venue, which has now been undertaken; an all-abilities pathway from both carparks and the township and lighting for the roadway/carparks.
“These have now been formally identified in the masterplan as the three main priorities which we are very pleased to see.”
The draft plan was released for public exhibition for a six-week period from May 23 to the June 14. As part of this, the public were invited to make submissions providing feedback on the draft plan, and one-on-one meetings were held with stakeholders. Required amendments based on this feedback, were made to the final document for Council adoption.
The main changes from the draft document to the final version were for the history of the JC Lowe Oval Reserve section to be included;
* Additional assets such as entrance road, entrance car parking, tennis court lighting, swimming pool car park and tennis clubhouse carpark were added to the ‘Existing Infrastructure at JC Lowe Oval Reserve’ section
* Development Priorities were reordered following external feedback, and the Master Plan map was updated to correspond to the changes
* Costings were removed from the Development Priorities section and included as a cost plan.
Over recent years, the YFNC has made its own improvements to the precinct including constructing a new netball court, resurfacing the existing court, building female friendly change rooms, constructing all-abilities toilets and a baby change area, and installing an irrigated grassed viewing area – all achieved with just a $70,000 contribution from council.
The 24 development priorities identified in the plan range from spends of $2500 (a road closure gate between netball and football) which has been identified as a low priority with a medium time frame to $5 million, (new football and netball community facilities) which has been identified as a high priority, although at number 12, and a long time frame.
Other spends include constructing new football change room facilities ($1,500,000), replacing four concrete tennis courts ($850,000), sealing car park area behind swimming pool plant room ($500,000) and installing a pedestrian crossing point at Burley Road to access the precinct from town ($150,000).
Moira Shire chair administrator Graeme Emonson said that now that the document has been adopted, it will be used to guide decision making and planning for the site and support funding applications going forward.
“I am pleased to see this masterplan in front of us and being adopted. It has been a very consultative process in developing the future plan for JC Lowe oval and the wider precinct,” Mr Emonson said.
“It has multiple users and is very highly regarded by the local community for both active and passive recreation.
“We worked very closely with the community advisory group and a range of users, stakeholders and the wider community to make some changes to the draft plan.
“I think this does now set out a really good plan for us to understand how JC Lowe Oval can be used and developed in the future.
“The Master Plan has considered a wide array of issues and opportunities associated with JC Lowe Oval Reserve. It responds to community aspirations whilst maintaining a realistic approach to development opportunities over a ten-year horizon.
“It is a big cost plan, and whilst there are no funding commitments for some of the cost estimates, without a plan we don’t have any capacity to move forward in seeking government funding and that will be a really important initiative that will flow with this masterplan.
“I’m really pleased to be supporting this.”
The Yarrawonga JC Lowe Master Plan can be viewed on the Moira Shire website at www.moira.vic.gov.au.