The City of Stonnington's tennis courts at Orrong Romanis Reserve in Prahran will be upgraded and resurfaced as five multi-purpose courts, enabling the facility to be used for both tennis and netball.
City of Stonnington Mayor, Cr Kate Hely, said this is a great use of community space.
"Making our courts at Orrong Romanis Reserve multipurpose means the facility will be used by more locals from both our netball and tennis communities in the future.
"The courts are in need of repair, so we're taking the opportunity to open them up for maximum use as well as improve lighting and fencing at the facility. Our open and recreation space is limited, so it's important that we make the most of what we have.
"We'll still be able to meet the current tennis usage, but also meet some of our need for additional netball courts across Stonnington. Having five outdoor netball courts to complement the indoor courts at the reserve is a significant upgrade for netballers in Stonnington and the Prahran Netball Association.
"I'm especially pleased that Tennis Victoria are supportive of our need for flexibility and thank them for recognising the broad benefits of the project," added Cr Hely.
In supporting the project, Tennis Victoria said:
Tennis Victoria's Strategic Plan details a strong emphasis on facility development, including supporting community needs by improving the standard, sustainability and community access to tennis facilities across Victoria. Orrong Park Tennis Centre is a facility that offers a range of tennis participation opportunities for people of all ages, gender, ethnicities and abilities.
The management group currently operating the centre support the need to reduce courts from 6 to 5 to accommodate blended lines and the shared use with Prahran Netball Association. The redevelopment including resurfacing of courts, new lighting and fences and Book-A-Court installation aligns strongly with Tennis Victoria's strategic focus providing a robust, fit for purpose facility that will cater for the communities current and future needs.
Netball Victoria is also supportive, outlining that:
Provision of facilities play a major role for councils looking at increasing participation in active lifestyles, building community connectivity for local clubs and associations and therefore participants. The City of Stonnington is planning strategically for growth. This project is a great opportunity to improve very poor conditions and outcomes in the short to medium term, and as such we look forward to discussions around access and collaboration with the Tennis Club.
Prahran Netball Association, who have been actively promoting and facilitating netball in the local community since 1983, is also pleased:
This is a good, sensible, outcome and a much needed step forward for netball and the local community in Stonnington. Equality of opportunity is a key to a healthy community, and this development is an important first step in addressing the deficit of courts in Stonnington.
The project will soon go to tender, with construction expected to start in the second half of the year.
The hours of operation of the facility are not expected to change following the construction of multipurpose courts. Both local residents and users of the facility will be kept up to date in the lead-up to construction starting.
