Public access to Spurling Reserve and Whitten Oval has been restored after a resident questioned why the community could not use the reserve “more than 50 per cent of the time”.
A resident raised concerns about access to the Footscray reserve and oval during the July 23 Maribyrnong council meeting, asking council why the Western Bulldogs only allowed “intermittent” public access to the reserve.
The resident said a condition of the council-issued permit for the redevelopment of Whitten Oval stipulated that the oval and Spurling Reserve must remain open to the public at all times, except for approved match days.
“It is noted, however, that access to Whitten Oval is provided intermittently and is restricted more that 50 per cent of the time. For example on Sunday, June 23, access was fully restricted. Access is also restricted daily between 6pm and 7am,” the resident said.
Council confirmed that the planning permit required the oval and reserve to be open to the public outside of match days.
“The Western Bulldogs have confirmed that, except for match days, the oval is open to the public from 7am daily and closes at 6pm, or at 8pm during daylight saving,” council said.
“Council officers have advised the Western Bulldogs that this arrangement does not comply with their obligations under the planning permit and are working towards full compliance.”
A Western Bulldogs spokesperson acknowledge there were “isolated occasions” when Whitten Oval was not publicly accessible, the cause of which has been identified and rectified.
““We have also made extensive efforts to clarify and provide certainty regarding hours of accessibility, including the installation of new signage,” the spokesperson said.
“We look forward to sharing our new upgraded facilities with the local community for many years to come.”
