An ambitious plan to develop a new football oval on the former John Valves site along Creswick Road could form part of the solution to an ongoing lease dispute between council and the North Ballarat Sports Club.
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Council is locked in an ongoing stoush with the club over a lease agreement at the Creswick Road facility which it compulsorily acquired in February 2017.
Among the core sticking points in the negotiations is the club’s future home, which it believes must be shifted to the second oval at North Ballarat.
Due to AFL and other commitments, North City and the North Ballarat Junior Football Netball Club have limited access to the Mars Stadium facilities.
Architectural designs developed for the club in June show new clubroom facilities to the north of the second oval as well as two new netball courts as part of a $4 million, five-year stage one proposal.
The document outlines the club’s aim to secure $1.2 million from council and $2 million from state or federal government, while contributing $800,000 itself.
A longer term conceptual stage two design shows a second oval on the John Valves site, backing on to the new clubrooms.
North Ballarat chief executive Scott Seward said while the John Valves concept was not set in stone, establishing a new, permanent home for North City was a “non-negotiable”.
“The kids and adults who play for that club are entitled to have appropriate space and I don’t think that’s an unreasonable expectation,” Mr Seward said.
The Courier understands conversations around developing a second oval at the current showgrounds site have also been part of the negotiations, a move favoured by council.
Part of that block is owned by the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society, which is shifting to Mount Rowan.
The eight-hectare John Valves site has sat vacant since the old foundry was demolished back in 2011 after the industrial-zoned parcel of land was purchased by a group of businessmen for $2.5 million in 2010.
An application was lodged with council in 2011 to subdivide the property into 67 lots, however the proposal never eventuated.
The Environmental Protection Authority issued a clean-up notice during this period which was adhered to. However the grounds would likely require additional EPA testing in order for zoning to be changed.
The private land would need to be acquired by council or the state government. The negotiations, which have been going for more than a year, were again deferred at a council meeting on Wednesday night.
In a statement, City of Ballarat Community Development Director Neville Ivey said council “has consistently acknowledged that the precinct would benefit in the longer term with the addition of a new oval”, but said the John Valves site had not been evaluated as a potential solution.
“Council is working with (state government) who are developing a master plan for the overall precinct, with the City of Ballarat advocating strongly for the inclusion of community sporting infrastructure.”
