By Goya Dmytryshchak
A Williamstown exercise group has been banned from training at John Morley Reserve in the Strand after 15 years.
Step into Life Williamstown owner Jason O’Donnell said Hobsons Bay council had advised him the group would be prohibited from using the reserve after June 30.
He said the council had installed exercise equipment in the Strand to encourage health and fitness, but was now preventing his group from using it.
“It’s ridiculous – there’s no common sense,” Mr O’Donnell said.
“We’re not a boot camp … we train about being active and living healthier and fitter lifestyles. We have not received any noise complaints, nor have we had any incidents with members of the community using the area to visit, look out at views, have picnics or use the exercise path, so I find it hard to understand why after June 30 we will no longer have a permit for this area.”
He said he offered a “compromise” of using a corner of Commonwealth Reserve from 6am, but the council rejected the suggestion, saying the reserve was unsuitable due to having a high volume of visitors and events such as weddings.
“There’s never been a wedding at 6am or tourists at 6 in the morning there when it’s dark,” Mr O’Donnell said.
Mr O’Donnell said the council charged the highest permit rate in Australia. He said his annual fee of about $3000 a year was more than 10 times what he would be charged by councils such as Port Phillip and Yarra.
Hobsons Bay mayor Jonathon Marsden said some sites that had been historically used by trainers were no longer considered suitable for individual and group training.
“It is acknowledged that Step into Life Williamstown have used John Morley Reserve and other sites in Hobsons Bay for several years without obtaining a permit,” he said.
“During this time, noise complaints have been received, along with complaints about the group using council furniture for training sessions.
“In December, 2018, Step into Life were charged a discounted rate of $528 for a seven-month permit to use council’s public open space for training.”
Cr Marsden said John Morley Reserve primarily functioned as an area for passive recreation with its historic cannons, picnic tables and chairs providing views over the
bay.
Council officers have updated the group’s permit to include use of other Williamstown reserves, including Robertson and Fearon reserves, and have suggested the most suitable training spaces would be Greenwich, RJ Long, Hatt and Gloucester reserves.
Cr Marsden said the council was reviewing how personal training permits were issued, including fees and charges, which would be benchmarked against other councils.
