Tara Murray
Broadmeadows will be the new home of rugby league in Victoria after Hume council issued a permit for the State Rugby League Centre to be built at Seabrook Reserve.
The centre, which is part of a bigger Seabrook Reserve master plan redevelopment, will see NRL Victoria have access to one pitch and an ancillary office at the reserve.
Having announced the location of the centre last year, council voted last week on whether to issue a permit for NRL Victoria for the centre, which was carried.
Councillor Karen Sherry said the community was crying out for something like this.
Councillor Jodi Jackson asked for the decision to be put off until the new council was elected, but had no seconder.
The state government allocated $12 million to the training and community centre in the 2018-19 budget but it was originally planned for nearby Johnstone Street Reserve.
Council made the decision last year to move the facility to Seabrook Reserve when they announced their masterplan.
But the decision angered Broadmeadows residents who said they haven’t been consulted about the plans
Representatives from NRL Victoria, Melbourne Storm, NRL local club the Northern Thunder and Touch football Australia and Victoria entered submissions supporting the project.
NRL Victoria’s Brent Silva said the centre will play an important role in the strategic development of rugby league in Victoria.
He said it would help encourage more women to get involved with the sport, with female-friendly facilities and would be the base for NRL Victoria to deliver its community based programs.
Broadmeadows Progress Association’s John and Sonja Rutherford both submitted objections against the permit.
Mr Rutherford said the plan went against what the community had wanted the space for, after it had been neglected by the council for many years.
He said the decision to lease some of the land was in clear contradiction to the provision of the development of the Seabrook Reserve and the officers’ report was misleading.
Mrs Rutherford said she wanted the item deferred until the new council was sitting, with COVID-19 making it harder for community consultation to be held probably and wanted an extended time frame.
