Draft Prince of Wales Park Master Plan unveiled

The City of Ballarat has unveiled its plan to redevelop a major sporting hub in a key Ballarat location.

The Draft Prince of Wales Park Master Plan is now open for public exhibition, having been endorsed by Ballarat City Council at its June Ordinary Meeting on Wednesday night.

The plan is designed to ensure users of Prince of Wales Park have suitable and equitable sporting facilities into the future.

Prince of Wales Park is located off Gillies Street in Lake Gardens and includes a wide array of sporting and recreation facilities, including the Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre (BALC).

Other sports currently catered for in the precinct include hockey, tennis, baseball, archery, cricket, croquet, and parkrun.

In order to cater to the needs of each sport as well as the users of Prince of Wales Park, a master plan has been drafted to guide the future of the sporting precinct.

The master plan has been developed following research, benchmarking, and consultation and aligns with the Draft Recreation Infrastructure Plan 2024-2039.

An implementation plan is provided with the master plan to ensure that logical sequencing and prioritisation of projects are considered when delivering items within the plan.

Among the top priorities will be the provision of an additional new hockey pitch to service existing demand, with a second new pitch to be developed in the long term to make three pitches in total.

Another priority will be relocating the Wendouree Archery Club to Ring Road Reserve (near Pioneer Park in Wendouree). This move is supported by the archery club and will resolve the historical issue of archery being close to residential properties.

Other key actions as part of the draft master plan include:

• Retaining a total of three baseball diamonds but developing a new diamond in a different location in the reserve as one of the existing diamonds will need to make way for a new hockey pitch.
• Expanding BALC as a regional aquatic and leisure destination, including a new contemporary water play park and other leisure water features to cater for demand for a growing population.
• Renewing tennis court lighting and surfacing.
• Increasing on site carparking.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the Draft Prince of Wales Park Master Plan was an important planning project that had been developed in close consultation with the users of the precinct.

“We are excited about what the future holds at Prince of Wales Park, but it is vital we work closely with the existing users to ensure no sport gets left behind,” Cr Hudson said.

“We have listened closely to the user groups and feel the master plan will not only improve the venue as a whole, but also provide something for each individual sport.

“I encourage the community to look at the master plan and provide us with feedback.”

The community is now encouraged to review the Draft Prince of Wales Park Master Plan and provide feedback during the public exhibition period. Feedback closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 21 July.

Visit the City of Ballarat MySay page to view the plan in full and to provide feedback.

The final Prince of Wales Park Master Plan is expected to return to Ballarat City Council for adoption in August.