Wood calls for talks on Mildura South sports precinct debate

A COUNCILLOR is calling for urgent talks to “rectify” a club’s concerns about the new $44 million Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct failing to meet the basic needs of spectators.

Cr Liam Wood, whose portfolio is recreation and events, is trying to pull together the council’s top brass for a meeting with the precinct’s primary user groups after the outdoor winter tenant said it had been largely sidelined in the planning process.

South Mildura Sporting Club president Kevin Burke put the boot into the precinct project team this week over two key concerns: car parking being banned around the main oval, and the absence of outdoor permanent undercover seating.

“It seems that the issues are continually raised and, whether it’s ignorance or arrogance that’s coming from the other side, they are not listening to people who actually run a sporting complex and understand what needs to happen,” Mr Burke said.

“Was this a lack of foresight and listening from council? I can’t answer that, you can’t answer that and they probably don’t want to answer that.”

Cr Wood said this situation was unacceptable and “we need to act now because time is of the essence”.

“We have time to rectify any issues,” the first-term councillor said. “We have to make sure we get this right.

“Sporting organisations need to make money and their facilities need to be spectator and user-friendly.

“We want to think big and attract majors, but we also need the bare essentials for our local sporting organisations.”

He said he had spoken with mayor Jason Modica about teeing up an urgent meeting between the council’s most senior staff and the Bulldogs’ management.

“We need to listen to all the organisations that are going to be part of the new precinct,” Cr Wood said.

Member for Mildura Ali Cupper, who led the fight to secure $10 million for stage 2 of the project, also weighed into the issue this week.

“As a general principle, decision-makers should always be listening to the grassroots stakeholders and involving them as much as possible,” Ms Cupper said.

“Some things may be incorporated at this very late stage and other things may simply not be able to, short of us pulling down the entire building and starting again.”