DROMANA Football and Netball Club wants in on a plan to develop a section of Crown land on Boundary Rd, Dromana, into an adventure park.
The senior and junior sections of the club have been seeking more ovals for several years as its ground off Pier St – Dromana Recreation Reserve – is at capacity.
Next season the club will have 15 teams playing at the reserve – 11 junior teams (including two girls’ sides) and four senior teams, including a proposed women’s team.
Thirteen teams played there this year. A second girls’ team and the women’s team will be added for 2016.
Football club president Mark Crawshaw told The News the recently released proposal to develop a $6 million adventure park at 161-191 Boundary Rd – land managed by Parks Victoria on behalf of the state and known as Parkdale Estate – should have at least one football ground and a soccer pitch.
“Land for sports is limited in the area. It is the council’s responsibility to provide more facilities for young people with all the benefits that this would bring,” he said.
The adventure park concept is being promoted by a group of entrepreneurs led by Stephen Todd. The group wants to build a network of mountain bike trails, pedestrian and dog walking paths, fitness area, hall and car park.
The land is on the Arthurs Seat escarpment between Hillview Community Reserve and Hillview Quarries’ old Pioneer quarry, which itself is subject to a development proposal (“Hillview seeks new quarry”, The News, 1/9/15).
Mornington Peninsula Shire and Parks Victoria have had sporadic discussions over almost two years about a land swap of Parkdale Estate and a shire reserve known as Concept Spur, 55 hectares west of Purves Rd between Seamists Drive and Waterfall Gully Rd, and adjacent to Seawinds Gardens.
Concept Spur was given to the Shire of Flinders in 1974 when a developer subdivided the land for homes.
Last Friday, Mr Crawshaw said he and other club officials heard about the adventure park from Stephen Todd at last week’s meeting of the Association for Building Community in Dromana (ABCD).
“We had a brief discussion with Mr Todd and told him about our wish list of two sporting grounds. His architect said there would have to be a seven-storey cut into the slope to create enough level ground but we think part of the land close to Boundary Rd – known as Pat’s Paddock opposite Collins Rd – would need less cutting if a retaining wall was used,” he said. “Mr Todd said he was happy to work with the club.”
The adventure park plan was too limited as it currently existed, Mr Crawshaw said.
Clubs in the Nepean League needed at least two footy grounds. Rye was in the same boat as it too would have a new women’s team next season, he said. Mr Crawshaw said the AFL South East commission’s development manager Cam Roberts was interested in the potential new oval.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 22 September 2015
