Submission Cover Sheet North East Link Project EES IAC 662

Request to be heard?: no

Full Name: Ken Barton Organisation: Tennis Affected property: Boroondara Tennis Centre, Bulleen Road, , VIC 3105 Attachment 1: Boroondara_TC_N Attachment 2: Tennis_Victoria_- Attachment 3: Comments: As per attachments

Tennis Victoria 7 June 2019 AAMI Park (Entrance F) Olympic Boulevard VIC 3000 Locked Bag 6001 Richmond 3121 Planning Panels Victoria T +61 3 8420 8420 North East Link Project F +61 3 8420 8499 tennis.com.au/vic [email protected]

To Whom It May Concern Patron: The Honourable Linda Dessau, AM Governor of Victoria RE: BOROONDARA TENNIS CENTRE RELOCATION

Tennis Victoria (TV), the peak body for tennis in Victoria, wishes to make a submission in relation to the Environment Effects Statement (EES), and in support of the successful and timely relocation of the Boroondara Tennis Centre (BTC), due to the construction of the North East Link (NEL).

TV’s Strategic Plan to 2020 details a strong emphasis on facility development, including supporting community needs by improving the standard, sustainability and community access to tennis facilities across Victoria. As a one of the largest and most well utilised tennis centres outside of Melbourne Park, the BTC is a critically important facility. It drives the success of the sport locally for residents, and for those travelling to access high performance training and tournament play.

The award winning centre has been very successful over many years, returning consistent operational surpluses and high visitation numbers up to the present day. As well as a large number of community participants, the facility has also hosted professional tournaments and exhibition events. TV has a long standing history with the BTC and the forerunner of the , dating back to its inception in 1982, when TV partnered with the then City of Camberwell to develop and operate the Centre. At a later stage, council assumed sole responsibility for the facility, and has continued to invest in, and support the facility.

Underscoring the sports strong and enduring relationship with the City of Boroondara across the entire municipality, in 2018 they were judged ‘Most Supportive LGA’ at TV’s annual awards night. The nature of the relationship with the City of Boroondara leads us to the conclusion that the best interests of the sport will be served by the existing BTC to be relocated on land controlled by them.

We support the EES guiding principles developed to help develop and assess potential replacement and relocation options for affected sporting clubs, namely; - Provide a suitable replacement facility that meets current standards - Be located reasonably close to the existing site - Be available in a timely manner to minimise disruptions and support ongoing participation

Additionally, from a tennis point of view, we need the following key points to be achieved with any new facility: - New tennis centre to be at least the same size as the current one (23 courts + associated infrastructure/parking) - Potential for future expansion (as there currently is at the BTC) - Ease of access maintained - Within the Boroondara municipality - New facility to be completed prior to the current BTC closing ie no interruption to the provision of tennis services.

We have reviewed the options presented for BTC as part of the EES, in particular 2-4 in the Sport & Recreation EES Options Factsheet. Option 2 is not within the City of Boroondara, and Option 3 relies upon a technically challenging build across Koonung Creek, so we do not support these options.

Tennis Victoria ABN 29 757 304 158

Attached is a report ‘Tennis Victoria - Boroondara Tennis Centre’, which outlines TV’s recommendations (provided to Boroondara Council in 2018) for key and value-add components for a relocated BTC. This outlines in more detail the critical significance of the facility.

If you have any questions regarding our submission, please feel free to contact our General Manager – Government Relations & Places to Play, Ken Barton on 0417 148758.

Yours Sincerely,

Belinda Kleverlaan Acting Chief Executive Officer Tennis Victoria cc: Ken Barton, TV General Manager – Government Relations & Places to Play

BOROONDARA TENNIS CENTRE

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The Past & Present

Planning for a joint Victorian Tennis Association (later to become known as Tennis Victoria), Department of Youth, Sport & Recreation and City of Camberwell ‘Multicourt’ Tennis Centre began in 1981, only three years after the formation of the tennis association. The development of an initial facility, including 16 courts cost in the vicinity of $750,000 with equal contributions from the three partners, and was completed in 1983. An additional 7 courts were added at a later stage, and management reverted to Council and Tennis Victoria at that point. At an even later stage, the City of Boroondara assumed sole responsibility for the facility.

The development of such a large complex was in response to population growth in that part of Melbourne, and a recognition that a significant number of synthetic all weather courts were required to respond to the demand for tournaments, coaching, social play and competitions. The centre was also professionally managed, which was unusual at the time, and management reported to a board made up of representatives from Council, Tennis Victoria and the Victorian Government.

The centre has been very successful over many years, returning consistent surpluses and high visitation numbers up to the present day. As well as a large number of community participants, the facility has also hosted professional exhibition events, and did hold qualifying matches for the Australian Open, when it was held at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.

This success culminated with an award in 2017 of National Tennis Centre of the Year at the prestigious Newcombe awards, recognizing amongst other things;  An average 97,000 visitations per year, making it one of the busiest tennis facilities in Victoria  #6 in Tennis Victoria’s Top 50 Clubs recognition program  On site services, such as physiotherapy, massage, pro shop, café and child minding  Facility occupancy rate of 41.3% compared to the group median of 16.0%, which has increased by 2.6% compared with the previous year (Tennis Australia Operational Health Check).  2006 registered players in competitions, coaching and other programs  Innovative use of programs such as ‘Meet Up’, to better connect players who wish to play socially  Strong engagement with players via annual customer satisfaction surveys  Expense recovery of 110% via annually completed Tennis Australia Operational Health Check, delivered by UniSA  Recipient of a Tennis Australia Community Tennis Grant, to encourage inter-generational tennis participation

Over a number of years, the centre has been a finalist or winner of numerous awards. Centre Director, Warren Maher was awarded Tennis Coaches Association of Victoria ‘Coach of the Year’ in 2012. Warren’s business ‘MTMS’ has managed the centre for twelve years (and 10 years prior as appointed manager). Warren is a former highly credentialed player on the international professional tennis tour, including competing in the main draw at each Grand Slam, and is a member of the ATP Alumni Division.

Centre Role

The centre operates as a Regional Tennis Centre, in Tennis Australia’s hierarchy of facilities. As such, the centre fulfils the following functions;  Grass roots participation and community programming  Sustainable tennis development objectives  Community health and wellbeing objectives  Resource for smaller centres, clubs and associations  Economic driver  National/state based tournaments

 High performance training and talent feeder focus

Given its easily accessed location, breadth of community programming, number of events and ability to provide a high performance focus, the centre has evolved to be a destination venue and draws players from a large area of Metro Melbourne and also Regional Victoria.

The centre is located in the City of Boroondara, but is on the border of the City of Manningham and draws upon the significant tennis playing populations to the east and north of the facility. It is the largest tennis facility in the east of Melbourne, with the nearest in size being Doncaster Tennis Club (12 courts & 7 km away). The majority of tennis clubs in the City of Boroondara and Manningham are either a Local (2+ courts) or District 4-8 courts) level. Evaluation of visitation statistics for core programs recently reveals the following;  44% are City of Boroondara residents  27% are from City of Manningham  30% travel from other areas

Demand for Tennis

Tennis is a strong participation sport locally, and across the state and nation. In 2010 Tennis Australia undertook the largest national study ever conducted by a sport to gain a clear understanding of the tennis consumer. The study was conducted by the Gemba Group. The sample size was over 8,300 people, covering all capital cities and regional areas within each state and territory from people aged from 5 to 75 years. 2011 updated data and key insights include:  33% of the population have played tennis regularly at some point in their lives  tennis has the highest participation rate of any traditional sport in Australia  12% of the population played tennis at least once a year  participation is consistently high across both genders and geographic locations  the highest participation rates are in the 5-9 and 10-15 year age groups  74% of the population started playing before the age of 16 years old

Tennis engages well with the local community and promotes itself as a sport of fun, health and fitness, social interaction and suitable for all the family. This aligns with the recent AusPlay 2016 report which found the top three motivations for sport participation amongst adults were health/fitness, fun/enjoyment and social interaction. The AusPlay report further supports tennis’ strong role in sports participation with findings which include:  1 in 10 club sport players (junior and adult) nationally choose to play tennis  tennis is the third biggest club sport for adults  tennis was the most requested and delivered sport by primary schools in the Australian Sports Commission’s Sporting Schools program for 2017  63% of Australian children participate in organised physical activity outside school hours, with 280,239 (6.1%) of children converting to playing tennis or tennis coaching, including 192,167 (4.2%) converting to playing at their local tennis club, ranking tennis sixth of club sports.

Demonstrating the increase in tennis participation, Tennis Victoria has reported registered participants increased 23% to 332,931 in 2017/18. Tennis Victoria reports this strong rate of increase was driven by club registrations, in particular through junior tennis participation (up 35% to 197,860) in Hot Shots club, coaching and school programs, including 826 schools across the state officially partnering to deliver tennis in the curriculum and/or after school.

The significant role played by the BTC is evidenced by tennis participation in the City of Boroondara, with 8.7% of the population participating as a regular tennis player.

Future Role

In October 2017 the Victorian government announced the preferred route for the North East Link (NEL), which is a $16 billion toll road connecting the Metropolitan Ring Road with the Eastern Freeway. This route along Bulleen Road is likely to significantly impact the Boroondara Tennis Centre (BTC) and lead to its demolition and subsequent relocation. The Victorian government will make a final decision on the route and timelines for construction after the state election in November 2018.

Given the timeline for any relocation of the BTC would need to take into account construction periods and the need for business continuity, it is critical that planning for a relocated centre takes place in parallel with any decision making process about finalization of the preferred route.

To that end, this document seeks to set out the requirements of a relocated centre, so it can continue, and indeed build upon its important role as a community hub for the City of Boroondara and Regional Tennis Centre for the East of Metropolitan Melbourne, albeit with a City of Boroondara focus.

Strategic Context

The Melbourne East Regional Sport and Recreation Strategy (MERSR) has been developed to support and guide Melbourne East Councils and stakeholders in the planning and delivery of regional level sport and recreation facilities and shared recreation trails. The Melbourne East Regional Sport and Recreation Strategy is driven by the need to identify and plan for the development of new, and the renewal of existing, regional level facilities. The Boroondara Sport & Recreation Strategy and Boroondara Community Plan are also key documents underpinning facility planning and provision in the area.

Although the relocation of the BTC is driven by a major infrastructure project, it clearly is an opportunity for more than just a ‘like for like’ replacement, and offers a unique opportunity for renewal – setting up the facility to play a leading role in the delivery of tennis in the region for the next 30 years, much as the original vision did.

Tennis Victoria is aligned with the definition of regional level facilities outlined in the MERSR for a relocated BTC, in that a renewed facility would;  Provide a range of participation and grass roots outcomes which benefit the community, allow for a range of competitions (local, state and/or national), and have the ability to host medium to large scale events.  Cater for a broad catchment across multiple municipal boundaries.  Offer flexibility of use by one or more sports / activities.  Deliver quality management and service levels that are maintained to a high standard.  Consider the defined regional facility training and competition standards of the relevant Council or Councils, and State Sporting Associations.

Recommendations

After careful consideration of existing BTC operations, regional demographic trends, population growth projections, the broader industry contest and changing demand patterns, the following elements should be considered in the planning and design of a renewed BTC, which will equip it well for the future. The proposed elements have been broken up into key components (non-negotiable), important components (strongly recommended) and ‘value add’ components (as resources permit).

The focus would be on tennis, but with other complementary activities driving visitation and financial return. The vision is for a community hub, but with high performance capability (including staff & programs).

1. Proposed Key Components a. Outdoor court surfaces - 16 ITF SFAG, 8 ITF cushioned acrylic, 2 Tier 1 clay b. LED sports lighting (ITF courts 500 lux) c. 4 dedicated Hot Shots courts & Kids Zone d. Café e. Pro shop f. Health & wellbeing eg on site massage, physiotherapy g. Public hire h. Multi use community and function spaces i. Child care j. Health provider rooms (massage, physio) k. Technology eg wifi, Playsight courts, customer kiosk l. Universal design and Access for All Abilities m. Wheelchair accessible and event ready n. Shade & seating o. Energy efficient & environmentally friendly eg solar panels, water harvesting p. Single entry point q. Strategically located ‘gazebos’ for spectator viewing and player comfort 2. Important Components a. Potential for offices and shared spaces for complementary partners and community groups b. Specific fitness elements for off court tennis training c. Show court with movable seating 3. Value Add a. Potential for multi-sport options b. 2-4 courts to be indoors (with potential integration to administration building)

Ken Barton General Manager – Government Relations and Places to Play Tennis Victoria

June 2019