At their April meeting, Council approved a Masterplan for the Glenlyon Recreation Reserve but overturned a recommendation from Council officers on the preferred location of the Pavilion.
Council officers considered three possible sites for a new pavilion: (1) the existing site, (2) the woodchop area or (3) the site of the existing toilet block. On balance, they recommended option 3 because there were no constraints due to existing trees, no space constraints, no waterway constraints and no heritage constraints. The other sites had these constraints to varying degrees. The recommendation included removal of the existing water tank near the toilets in order to make way for the new pavilion.
There was considerable public opposition to the recommended location. Damian Leonard, President of the Glenlyon Sports Club, addressed the Council during the meeting to argue for retention of the existing Glenlyon Pavilion because it creates much of the ambience of the annual Glenlyon Sports Day on New Years Day. He opposed moving the Pavilion to the recommended site because it was exposed, removed from the centre of the Sports Day activities and presented safety risks for children passing through the parking lot. He asked that the old Pavilion be retained and refurbished because of it’s history and importance to the day.
Cr Simpson moved an amendment that the “new pavilion is located on the site of the old pavilion and could include renovation and/or replacement”. The amendment included that the existing toilet block be retained with the nearby water tank and remnant vegetation and that drainage improvements be undertaken.
The amended motion leaves open the possibility of replacing the existing pavilion with a new structure but Council officers gave assurances that a new structure would be designed in keeping with the character of the Reserve.
Councillors supported the amendment in part because of the way in which the public consultation had been conducted. The draft masterplan suggested the three siting options and sought public comment on the location. Responses were overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the existing site. Councillors argued that they should listen to those responses.
The amended motion was passed by a vote of 5-0 with Councillors Hood and Hewitt abstaining.
The estimated total cost of implementing the masterplan is in excess of $4.7 million.
Related Stories:
Glenlyon Recreation Reserve Masterplan Open for Public Comment
