New home in Torquay for juniors

Hamish Heard
A new oval is set to address a shortfall in sport facilities around Torquay, according to a local councillor.
Keith Grossman said the shire was finalising plans to put an oval on council-owned land at Grasstree Park, in Messmate Road.
The shire was “pretty serious” about developing the site, he said. The department responsible for sport facilities was costing the project this week.
Two weeks ago the Independent revealed Torquay could lose its main oval to football next year.
Council had stripped the oval’s couch grass for resowing before Barwon Water increased restrictions to ban watering ovals, threatening to leave Torquay’s facility without suitable grass indefinitely.
But Cr Grossman said the 1.6-hectare grassland site on Messmate Road was perfect for a junior sports oval.
The site would need minimal preparation to reach a standard suitable for hosting competition, he said.
“(The shire is) getting quotes from contractors at the moment but I dare say it would cost less than $100,000.”
Cr Grossman said the site’s proximity to a tomato farm using recycled water would mean the oval could be kept in good condition despite watering restrictions.
“It’s already level, so it just has to be mowed and shaped and kept neat and tidy to be used for a sports ground.”
Only junior cricket and football teams would use the oval, so there was no need to build clubrooms at the site, Cr Grossman said.
Torquay’s football club told the Independent earlier this year that a record amount of junior footballers had created a severe shortage of facilities.
A covenant protecting trees within the park reserve would not affect plans for the oval because it already had a large area of cleared space.
“All you need to do is get the ground right and build some toilet facilities, so I don’t see why it couldn’t be operational as early as next year,” Cr Grossman said.
“I think we badly need more ovals, so when you’ve got a site as suitable as this and with recycled water from the tomato growers close at hand it makes good sense.”
A shire spokesperson said council would review recreational facilities throughout the shire over the next three months.
“It’s difficult to say what will and won’t be considered until that review is underway,” the spokesperson said.