A two-lane bocce court in Bundoora’s Satin Park is one step closer following Whittlesea council’s endorsement of a $50,000 facility.
The council, at its final sitting of the year last Tuesday, resolved to support construction of the rink and associated infrastructure.
The Weekly in March reported that residents had submitted a petition to Whittlesea council for a bocce court in Satin Park in Bundoora’s Windmill Street.
Chief petitioner Ben Ryder was pleased the council had taken such a proactive approach to gauge the level of community interest in the bocce court before progressing to the funding stage.
“Based on the decision last night [December 10], I would assume the council letterbox survey resulted in a significant response rate, indicating an overall positive interest in transforming the unused park into a functional bocce court,” he said.
Mr Ryder’s original petition containing five signatures of Windmill Street residents was first tabled at a council meeting on February 26. The residents asked the council to consider a two-lane bocce court and requested that four bench seats be erected alongside the courts. There is no infrastructure in the park, which is about 5100 square metres and bounded by Satin and Windmill streets and Bramble Crescent.
In March, the council voted to undertake broader community consultation. A survey paper was sent to 247 residents within the Satin Park catchment area. Responses were due on November 1.
Of the 53 respondents, 62 per cent were supportive of the bocce court despite a few raising concerns about additional car parking in the area if the facility was constructed.
The success of a five-person petition was a cause for concern for Cr Norm Kelly, however. “We don’t want to be seen to be setting a precedent,” he said.
