Council is not proceeding with planned upgrades of sporting facilities at Elsternwick Park’s Oval 4, following further consideration of the project at the first meeting of Bayside’s new Council on 17 December 2020.

This project involved resurfacing the sportsground, improving drainage, installing lighting, and proposing to build a basic pavilion.

The existing sportsground will continue to be shared by the whole community, including as a much-loved off-leash dog walking area. Community cricket will continue to be played year-round on Oval 4, while local schools will use the oval mid-week, and it will be used for pre-season training for winter sports.

Council will continue to listen to the community to ensure our open spaces meet their varied recreation needs, and investigate alternative ways to meet the high demand for sporting facilities.

Remaining project funds will be reallocated to suitable community projects, such as investigating a warm water pool, as part of Council’s 2021–22 budget development process.

For more information about this decision, please see the meeting minutes, or you can view a recording of the meeting here.

Council’s decision to place these works on hold following the recent Local Government election was designed to provide new Councillors with an opportunity to consider the project, and minimise disruption to the community and any financial penalties if the project was cancelled or its scope amended after construction works commenced as scheduled in November 2020.

Contracts relating to this project will now be cancelled in accordance with legal requirements and obligations. All negotiations and monetary figures are commercial in confidence and cannot be shared with members of the public.

For background information about the project, please visit the Elsternwick Park Oval 4 project webpage.

This page will no longer be updated. All details of the 2018 consultation, including comments, will remain on this page for reference.

Please visit the Elsternwick Park Oval 4 project page for more information about the Oval 4 upgrade.

Thank you for your interest and feedback into the use of Elsternwick Park ovals 3 and 4 for winter sport use.

There has been significant community interest in this matter which Council considered at the Special Council Meeting on 19 September 2018, where it was resolved that:

Council:

1. Endorses the use of Elsternwick Park (South) Oval 4 for the purposes of winter sport including sportsground reconstruction incorporating improved drainage, irrigation, synthetic cricket wicket and granitic sand oval perimeter path;

2. Installs sportsground lighting on Elsternwick Park (South) Oval 4 to meet Australian Standards for junior and senior Australian Rules football training;

3. Constructs a basic, female-friendly sportsground pavilion to support the use of Elsternwick Park (South) Oval 4;

4. Refers costs associated with works at Elsternwick Park (South) Oval 4 for consideration as part of the 2019/20 Budget process;

5. Resolves not to install any oval perimeter fencing or concrete spoon drain on either Elsternwick Park (South) Oval 3 or Oval 4;

6. Leaves Elsternwick Park (South) Oval 3 unchanged;

7. Investigates opportunities for improved facilities for non-sporting users in Elsternwick Park (South) including dog walkers and dogs; and

8. Informs the lead petitioners of two relevant petitions received at the 21 August 2018 Council meeting of the outcome of this report.

Elsternwick Park is a significant park in Bayside’s north, providing valuable open space and recreational facilities for residents and visitors.

Women’s and junior participation in winter sports is growing rapidly in Bayside and across Australia. The growth in women’s sport is being driven by Australian Rules football with 2017 participation up 166 per cent on the previous year.

Currently, Council has 45 ovals in 26 reserves operating at 99% capacity and has identified Elsternwick Ovals 3 and 4 to increase capacity for overflow, scheduling clashes and school sport.

Bayside City Council is making a significant investment in upgrades at Elsternwick Park over the coming years, including improving facilities and redeveloping the sportsgrounds.

Following a decision by Council at its 19 June meeting, the winter reactivation of Ovals 3 & 4 will be considered, subject to consultation, for winter sports use to meet the growing demand for sporting ovals in Bayside. A draft concept has been prepared for consideration and feedback.

To be involved in the consultation on Ovals 3 & 4 attend our community information sessions, all community members are welcome to attend.

We have a number of online engagement tools available including a Quick Poll. Building on early feedback we have identified a number of key themes to explore community feedback further. Please join a discussion below.

You can also make a direct submission to Council enquiries@bayside.vic.gov.au

Consultation is open from Friday 29 June, 2018 until 11.59pm Friday 17 August, 2018.

Elsternwick Park south (including Oval 3 and 4) is a highly utilised area of open space and is home to a dog obedience school and significant levels of use by dog owners taking advantage of the dog off-leash areas.

The space will remain accessible to dogs and their owners when sporting competition is not being played. Dogs will continue to have full off-leash access to other areas of the Park and also have increased on-leash access in the former golf course site to the north.

Further investigation will be required to determine the level of reconstruction required to make the ground ready for competition. However initial investigations indicate that upgrades to drainage, irrigation, shaping of the oval and turf will be required at both sportsgrounds.

It is proposed that both sportsgrounds are fenced to provide structure to the sportsground and will prevent sportsground lighting masts becoming an obstacle to park users. This will also provide delineation between the ovals and passive recreation users during times of allocated sport. The fences proposed will by 1 meter high chain link fence.

Balancing the needs for the entire community is an important consideration when planning open space. Here is the approximate breakdown of the open space:

A pavilion will be required at the site with four female friendly changerooms to service both ovals, umpire facilities, first aid room, public toilet, storage, and kiosk with large under cover areas on both sides for spectators.

It is not proposed that this pavilion be allocated as a home venue for a sports club and accordingly will not require social space or bar facilities.

The sportsground lighting design for Ovals 3 and 4 forms part of Council’s 2017/18 and 2018/19 budgets and is currently being designed to include 50 lux lighting for Oval 3, suitable for training purposes and 100 lux lighting for Oval 4 suitable for AFL competition purposes and training purposes for both AFL and Soccer.

The lighting system will meet all relevant standards and mitigate light glare and spill into surrounding properties. This is achieved through the height of the poles and the positioning of the lamps, ensuring that the light is directed onto the sportsground and not into surrounding properties.

Lighting will be programmed to operate during the months April to September between 5.00 – 8.30pm and will be on a timer to ensure lights are automatically turned off each evening.

What impact will sportsground lighting have on local wildlife?

The lighting system proposed would meet all relevant standards and be designed and operated to ensure there is no impact on local wildlife. This can be achieved by avoiding light glare and spill from the sportsground areas and by programming the system to operate during the months April to September between 5.00 – 9.00pm, with automatic timers to turn off the lights each evening.

What impact will sportsground lighting have on local residents?

The design of the proposed lighting system would meet all relevant standards to illuminate the sportsgrounds only and not produce glare and spill into surrounding properties. This is achieved through the height of the poles and the positioning of the lamps, ensuring that the light is directed onto the sportsground and not into surrounding properties.

Lighting would be programmed to operate during the months April to September between 5.00 – 9.00pm and would be on a timer to ensure lights are automatically turned off each evening.

Parking is important to ensure users of the sportsground don't increase congestion for local residents. The activation of the sportsgrounds includes indenting parking along New Street to create an additional spaces. The existing carpark along Bent Avenue will also be formalised and extended to create additional spaces.

Council is proposing a number of changes to Ovals 3 & 4 in Elsternwick Park South. Building on early feedback we would like to further explore community sentiment and opinions across a number of key themes and impacts of the proposed changes required to allow for formal winter sport.

Once you have had a chance to review the information provided above, we would love to hear your opinion on each theme, both support as well as concerns, and any ideas you have that may improve the proposal or reduce any negative impacts you are concerned about.