Wendouree West could have a new community hub developed as part of a Labor election promise, with new soccer pitches flagged as part of the master plan.
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pledged $7 million to redevelop the Wendouree West Recreation Reserve if elected on November 24.
The project will include a new pavilion and community hub for the Wendouree Neighbourhood Centre, new soccer pitches and lighting for night games, and basketball and skate facilities.
Labor is also promising the creation of a new dog park at the site, accessible play spaces and barbecue areas. The Wendouree West Men’s Shed will also be relocated to the reserve.
The new pitches and fresh clubrooms will cater for Ballarat’s growing soccer fraternity, with 1200 participants across the city, 25 per cent of which are female.
Football Federation Victoria facilities and advocacy executive manager Gary Cole said they expect Ballarat will need seven more full-size pitches to cater for future demand, and this project could “knock off 50 per cent of those”.
At the campaign launch for Labor’s candidate for Wendouree, Juliana Addison, Andrews said the new community facilities would help those ‘doing it tough’ in Wendouree West to reach their full potential.
“There are some communities across the state that are left behind, that don’t get the support that they should always have been given,” he said.
“This community [of Wendouree] is a proud community, but there are some people who do it tough here, and we need to look out for them, we need to hold them close, we need to give them the skills, support and the dignity to reach the full potential that belongs to them.
“Part of that is the best possible community facilities … the people of Wendouree West deserve nothing less.”
