Consultation on park

By Stephanie Zhang

Consultation with the local community for usage of Ron Barassi Snr Park started on June 27.

“What we’d like to find out is how we can work together to activate Ron Barassi Snr Park to the benefit of the local community,” City of Melbourne recreation planner Dale Stewart, told the Docklands Community Forum on June 27.

Ron Barassi Snr Park opened in October 2015 as a key part of the Docklands Community and Place plan and includes formal sports facilities and even sports lighting for night time activities.

However, it does not seem to have reached the level of engagement the council had hoped for.

External sports clubs have been denied access to the park due to the City of Melbourne’s initial decision to reserve the park for local community use.

“There’s been a deliberate approach by council to see a degree of flexibility in that space and to ensure external clubs don’t take over the space,” Mr Stewart said.

While no current Docklands-based sports clubs exist, Mr Stewart suggested the possibility of some forming as a result of this consultation process.

He emphasised that the park could be suitable for a variety of activities.

“We’re open to a broad range of activities. We’d love to see it activated. More importantly we’d love to see it activated for the local community,” Mr Stewart said.

The consultation will be open until August 8 at participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ronbarassi.