Myrtle and Macleay Park Masterplan

Boroondara Council are developing a MMP Master plan to provide a long term vision and framework for improving parks and sportsgrounds. The Park is used for organised sport - NETBALL, soccer, cricket and baseball - and a diverse range of recreational activities.

As you know BNA secured a $1.2mill Federal Government grant in 2019 to build 4 new courts and upgrade lighting. This project was downgraded by Council in 2021 and the funding has now lapsed. Currently we have no advocates in Council. We are languishing with inadequate court space, non compliant / safe lighting and substandard facilities whilst other park facilities are flourishing.

It is imperative that netballers are now HEARD "en masse" to ensure that our sport receives fair & equitable outcomes from this Masterplan. This must be submitted by Sunday, July 23: Click Myrtle and Macleay Parks Master Plan | Engage Boroondara

We have prepared some optional answers which you can potentially use in answering the survey questions. The main issues are:

• inadequate court space
• inadequate and non-compliant lighting
• traffic and parking
• gender bias in provision of facilities

Council survey questions:

What is your favourite thing about the parks?

• Netball camaraderie! - getting together with friends and playing netball.
• Organised sport facility for my child/ren where they can participate in sport in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.
• Community hub that the Boroondara Netball Association creates.
• Multi-use of netball courts – netball, skating, bike riding
• Dedicated pavilion for Boroondara Netball Association (11 netball clubs + VNL + Power).

What is your least favourite thing about the parks?

• Lack of parking amenities on Saturdays
  • caused by having to run back-to-back games > would be alleviated with additional courts
  • no definition of where to park according to area being used
  • equity in space allocation for number of participants
• Traffic flow through the park
  • one entry / exit creating a significant bottleneck at Belmore Rd
  • suggest one way flow through from Belmore Rd to ?????
  • potential use of a bollard to open up only on Saturday mornings.
• Lighting
  • Unsafe & non-compliant lighting conditions on 3 netball courts
  • Inadequate lighting on netball courts ie) 3 out of 8
  • Unsafe lighting though-out the park
• Netball courts
  • Not enough netball courts to run compliant competition
  • No warm-up area for netball players
  • Lack of shelter and seating
  • Lack of water fountains (one only)
  • Mud / dust under the trees beside the courts / vegetation litter
• Under use of oval 5 (behind scout hall) – should be developed as a multi-use facility similar to netball courts; currently rarely used as an “overflow” space for cricket & soccer
• No public toilets near playground ie) for children

What in the parks do you think could be improved?

• Better use of available space ie) ovals
• Additional netball courts
• Adequate lighting on all netball courts
• Traffic flow & Parking
• Planting grass / artificial turf under the trees around netball courts / in front of water tanks
• Solar panels for pavilions
• Increased shelter and seating
• Safer pedestrian crossing
• Additional water fountains

 Is there anything else you’d like us to consider when drafting our Myrtle and Macleay Parks Master Plan? 

• Child safety risks associated with Netball toilet/change rooms facilities ie) male toilet entry around the back / out of sight
• Unsafe drop off zone on Belmore Road
• Address the gender bias of spaces available for sports
• Boroondara Netball Centre is the only netball facility in all of City of Boroondara compared to 70+ sports ovals - more courts are needed so that the Association can meet the demand of young women and girls, as well as increased membership from men and boys, in order for the Association to maintain our pristine netball pathway from grassroots through to the elite VNL competition, and ranking within the top 10 Netball Associations in Victoria.
• Myrtle and Macleay are utilised by many residents of Boroondara and not just those who live close by. As the only Netball facility for the entire Netball Community of Boroondara it does not presently meet their game day and training needs.
• Significant passive use of the netball courts for recreation other than netball by the local community. Extending this would see greater utilisation of the park.