A Werribee resident is outraged over the storage of Chirnside Park’s heritage timber grandstand and fears that it will never again see the light of day.
Bill Strong wrote to councillors last week to voice his concern at the way the grandstand had been completely dismantled and “stored” outside at the oval, covered loosely with plastic.
He also called on all councillors to maintain the existing planning permit conditions for the $11.75 million Chirnside Park redevelopment, which stipulates the redeveloped site is not re-opened until the timber grandstand has been relocated.
“The way [the planning application] was originally worded was that it would be relocated, and to me that just means you bring in a big truck and plonk it on and move it across. There was never any word of deconstruction … I believe if you deconstruct it, then you’ve lost the heritage anyway,” he said.
Mr Strong’s email follows a Star Weekly article outlining Wyndham council’s application for a six-month extension to complete the grandstand relocation without delaying the opening of the new pavilion, which is expected to be completed by January 2018.
Wyndham council city life director Jenny McMahon said the council was still working towards restoring and relocating the timber grandstand next to the eastern goalposts.
“The timber grandstand is currently stored securely. The timber is covered with plastic and is routinely inspected by the builder. Often weather events cause the plastic to be dislodged or removed, at which point the builder is responsible for reinstating it.
“As we planned to begin the reconstruction process within six months, it was not practical to store the items off site.
“While deconstructing the grandstand we found that a number of timber posts and beams supporting the structure were in decay or not suitable for re-use.
“The timber that makes up the current grandstand is not all from the original structure. Sections have been replaced over the years as the existing timber decayed.”
