MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will re-engage with tennis and bowls club officials over outstanding concerns regarding its new leases in what one councillor said was “dragging on for way too long”.
The new lease agreements, introduced last July under the previous council, affect several community tennis and bowls clubs operating on council owned or managed land. But despite sustained lobbying efforts from club representatives regarding their concerns, support from Tennis Australia, and interventions from two state local MPs, the shire had stood by the new lease terms.
The decision by council to push ahead was made even though “there was an expectation that the new leases would not be implemented” following a meeting last November between the shire, clubs, and the Peninsula Tennis Association. The council was also expected to make recommendations to councillors earlier this year addressing club concerns which did not occur.
Among the concerns are increased rent, maintenance of facilities solely being placed on clubs, additional fees, and council needing approval for tasks normally carried out by volunteers – with a risk that this may make it impossible for some clubs to operate.
With the matter unresolved, Cr Andrea Allen successfully led a motion at the council’s 22 April meeting calling for shire officers to undertake additional engagement with club representatives from all clubs and associations by June. It will aim to gather feedback on outstanding issues and concerns with the proposed leases. It will also mean that the new leases will be “formally paused” while consultation with clubs is carried out, with shire officers to bring back a report by September.
Allen said after the new lease agreements were made at the previous council’s 23 July meeting last year, “assurances were made to councillors at that meeting that the clubs had been consulted on these new leases”. “However, since then, clubs have indicated that they did not receive advance notice of the proposed rent increases or have any opportunity to discuss the broader implications of the lease changes,” she said.
“The 18 tennis clubs requested that the Peninsula Tennis Association (PTA) represent them in discussions with council regarding these leases. Council received correspondence from solicitors representing the PTA, which details concerns with their leases.”
Allen said council’s process of dealing with the issue had “stalled and the purpose of this notice of motion is to ensure engagement with the PTA and clubs does occur, to formally pause the implementation of the council resolution from July last year, and to require a report for council consideration by September on these leases”.
A council report, however, noted that most bowls clubs have already signed up to the new lease agreements “and so the focus of the additional engagement will primarily be with tennis clubs in the shire”.
Cr Kate Roper supported the motion saying, “this has been dragging on for way too long”. “I had several clubs come to me late last year, concerned about some of the points in the new leases and in discussion with other councillors and the new council, I found that a lot of clubs have been contacting them with the same concern,” she said.
Cr Stephen Batty said engaging with clubs was critical as the council “owe it to the hundreds and hundreds of volunteers that look after our facilities”.v “I, as Cr Roper has, have had numerous discussions with tennis and bowls clubs and they have valid points and I think we’ve got to engage them in understanding their problems and predicaments that they have at each site,” said Batty. “I think once we get this feedback, then we can look at the outstanding issues and get these leases signed. But as Cr Roper says, this has been going on for six to 12 months. This should be finalised.”
PTA secretary Michelle Vennelle welcomed the council’s decision. She said all tennis clubs had agreed not to sign the leases which were introduced “without proper consultation”. The new leases were also “very lengthy and very legalese, so they’re very hard to understand and it’s not conducive for a community sporting facility,” she said. “We will have a consultation process with the Peninsula Tennis Association and all tennis clubs to come to agreement on some of the terms and conditions of the lease.”
First published in the Mornington News – 29 April 2025
