FAQs
- Darnum
- Longwarry
- Thorpdale and
- Willow Grove
What purpose do the Crown Recreation Reserve Master Plans serve?
The Crown Recreation Reserve Master Plans establish clear direction for the future planning, provision and enhancement of sport and community infrastructure across several of the Shire’s rural recreation reserves.
The Crown master plans cover four recreation reserves which are owned and managed by Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) committees of management.
The plans focus on sporting facilities and associated infrastructure located at:
Why are these Master Plans important?
The Master Plans are the key advocacy documents for all stakeholders.
They are essential for attracting grant funding from both the State and Federal governments to deliver the infrastructure our community needs.
They allow us to present detailed cases to funding bodies to demonstrate that we have eligible projects which are thoroughly planned, costed and shovel ready.
Why are the Master Plans updated?
Regular review of the master plans is a recommendation in the Recreation Strategy 2017-2027 and ensures they remain current and able to meet the changing needs and expectations of Council, clubs and the broader community.
The review considers the status of listed projects, current participation data, sporting code changes, state government focus areas, new changes/ pressures and the context of the Recreation Strategy 2017-2027.
The review utilises the ‘Facility Prioritisation Assessment Framework’ from the Recreation Strategy to determine the priority of projects on a Shire wide basis for referral to Council’s Long Term Infrastructure Plan where appropriate.
The report provides a summary update for each master plan from 2016 and the revised maps.
When were the original Master Plans adopted?
The original Master Plans were adopted by Baw Baw Shire Council on 14 September 2016.
Are there Master Plans for areas other than Darnum, Longwarry, Thorpdale and Willow Grove?
Yes, Council has other Master Plans for existing towns and sites. These include Warragul, Drouin, Dowton Park in Yarragon, Trafalgar, the Baw Baw Equestrian Centre and sites included in the Rural Recreation Reserve Master Plans Stage 1 (Athlone, Buln Buln, Ellinbank, Hallora, Jindivick, Neerim South and Rawson).
These Master Plans were reviewed in 2019. Since their review, $11.88 million worth of projects have been completed, with a further $11.28 million of works in progress.
They also include approximately $37.1 million in recommendations yet to be undertaken.
Council has also adopted Master Plans for four of five proposed new sporting reserves in Drouin and Warragul, and these are costed at $69.6 million excluding land acquisition.
How are projects scored?
Projects are scored using the 'Facility Prioritisation Assessment Matrix' from the Recreation Strategy 2017-2027.
This is a weighted index which considers factors such as participation numbers and trends, cost of the project and a whole heap of criteria such as available grants, whether design work has been completed, compliance issues, support from State Sporting Associations etc.
All projects identified in recreation Master Plans across the Shire are scored and assigned an appropriate category e.g pavilions, lighting, playing surfaces etc.
The projects are then ranked against similar projects across the Shire to help guide decision making.
You can view the Assessment Matrix here.