MICHAEL SMITH AND ASSOCIATES
Stringer Road Reserve
Client | Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Year | 2020
Stringer Road Reserve is a precious open space reserve offering both active and passive recreation activities. Other than the foreshore corridor to Port Phillip Bay and the back beach and several small pocket neighbourhood playspace reserves, there is no other reserve in Blairgowrie.
Stringer Road Reserve is special in the extent of indigenous coastal vegetation of Banksia, Drooping She oak, Moonah trees and Manna Gums, to the extent there is a Vegetation Protection Overlay to the site. Current use includes two tennis courts, a popular and well-presented community garden and an under-sized oval used for lower grade cricket with senior cricket, being played at Rye.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council engaged our practice in the height of COVID-19 restrictions, however there was a window of opportunity for a site visit and briefing meeting in July 2020. Following extensive site analysis by ASR Research and our office, we conducted virtual Zoom meetings with Council’s Project Team and two meetings with up to twelve council officers attending.
Adrian Fernon of ASR Research undertook extensive background research into junior football and cricket participation on the Mornington Peninsula and determined there was further need for women’s and junior cricket and football facilities.
As the oval is undersized 106 x 94 metres, we prepared several scenarios of increasing the playing surface by 15-20% without encroaching on existing indigenous vegetation. We prepared a concept plan to illustrate a small pavilion of change rooms, public toilets, associated formalised car parking, upgrade of the tennis courts, removal of the former tennis club room and replacement with a barbeque shelter and public toilets, enhancement of pedestrian connections to the adjacent Slips Bushland and Melbourne Road.