Tatura residents push back against council decision for new Tatura Skate Park

This decision was made following two public consultations — one focusing on potential design elements and the other on the site’s location.

The announcement signals the park’s impending construction but also underscores a growing rift between council and the Tatura Community Planning Group regarding its location.

The planning group has long rallied for the development of a skate park at Lot 69, the empty eyesore across from the police station on Hogan St.

“We’ve had this on our agenda for 25 years,” Tatura Community Planning Group member Terry Court said.

“Since the last building left there about 30 years ago, the Tatura Community Planning Group has put together two community-endorsed master plans showing a skate park at that site.

“Many members of the group are very upset about council’s decision and how they went about this process.”

The planning group views Lot 69 as ideally situated near essential amenities such as shops, public toilets and seating areas, all of which could enhance the skate park’s appeal for young people and families.

Council has repeatedly cited soil contamination issues as a primary reason for abandoning the site, pointing to assessments made by landowners VicTrack.

According to council director of infrastructure Gary Randhawa, various environmental assessments have been completed over the years to support this reasoning.

“These assessments indicate that the site poses minimum to low risk to public health and safety under its current use, meaning no excavation or disturbance to the ground,” he said.

However, Mr Court claims that in an email from VicTrack in 2018, it stated that the site posed “no risk to human health under the current commercial/industrial land use or public use”.

“The community has been ill-informed and grossly misled about Lot 69,” Mr Court said.

“If you’ve been told, ‘We have to spend millions of dollars over there’, and ‘You can’t even drive a stake in it’, then of course the community will say ‘Well, it better not go over there then’.”

The funding conditions require the project to be completed by June 30.

According to Mr Randhawa, current traffic volumes, heavy vehicle percentages and the presence of an at-grade rail crossing complicated matters, rendering Lot 69 both time-constrained and unsafe.

“Site constraints between Hogan St and the railway crossing limit the implementation of standard traffic-calming measures and pedestrian facilities required under current Australian standards,” Mr Randhawa said.

Mr Court argues otherwise.

“At the moment, school buses pull up at that site, kids cross the road, and council are worried about that now ... they’ve never worried about it before,” he said.

A second community consultation session for the Tatura Skate Park is coming up soon, allowing residents to provide input on the two design options developed based on community feedback.

Online feedback will be available on the Shaping Greater Shepp website from 9am on Monday, March 24, until 5pm on Friday, April 4.

Additionally, there will be an in-person meeting on Monday, March 24, from 4.30pm to 6pm at the Tatura Senior Citizens Hall.

Following this consultation, the preferred design will be finalised in April, taking all feedback into account.

The new skate park will be built by Drover Projects, which is set to close Mactier Park starting Tuesday, March 25, to remove existing skate elements and prepare for the new design.

Despite the developers receiving the go-ahead, Tatura Community Planning Group remains determined to advocate for its vision.

“We’re not about to give up,” Mr Court said.

“If the council do not acknowledge now and put Lot 69 as the preferred site or at least include it in the design options, we will continue to pursue this matter.

“We are adamant that the best and safest location for the skate park is on Lot 69, and it is not too late to do that.”