A MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillor is pushing to revise concept design plans for a western pavilion at Mt Eliza’s Emil Madsen Reserve, calling for extra change rooms and a larger function area.
Cr Stephen Batty is championing changes to the current designs arguing the facility needed to be expanded to properly support the area’s growing sporting and community use. “To me, it doesn’t cater for today’s participants, let alone the growth that we’re going to have in the future,” he told The News.
The shire has currently proposed a concept design plan to build a western pavilion which would include only two uni-sex changerooms and a cafeteria-style room with an open kitchen. It would also feature an office/admin room, storage space, an outdoor covered viewing area, a social/community room, and a netball umpires’ room.
The new pavilion, located adjacent to oval one, would be a home to the Mount Eliza Football and Netball Club, as well as the Mount Eliza Junior Football Club and Mount Eliza Cricket Club. But Batty, who has years of experience working in the venue and hospitality industry, said this plan did not go far enough in keeping pace with increased participation, particularly with females, and increased population.
He also noted additional change rooms could be used for community groups such as yoga, pilates, book clubs and more. There were also no meeting rooms under the proposed plan. Batty also said the size of the cafeteria-style function proposal would only cater to between 80 to 100 people rather than 150 to 200 people.
“We’ve got secondary and primary schools that are calling out for a function venue,” he said, adding a bigger function space could also accommodate community held functions and other private bookings, creating revenue for the facility to “provide the necessary maintenance” of the building.
“Mt Eliza needs a community hub and this development can provide this facility. Additional sports and other internal activities will be able to use the new facility. “We’ve got support from the AFL, the AFLW, Cricket Victoria, and Cricket Australia all saying, ‘get the extra room so that you’ve got flexibility’.”
Councillors decided at their 14 October meeting to defer any final decision about the concept plans until 5 November, following a motion put forward by Batty. Batty said he was working with the shire to undertake “more investigation into the actual costs involved” and to “look at a number of funding alternatives to support other options, adding the current plan should not be considered “as it does not meet current day requirements”. If councillors vote to progress a preferred concept design, consultation would then be undertaken with the community and sporting groups before detailed designs are finalised.
Meanwhile, construction has begun on a new eastern pavilion at the reserve, which is expected to be completed by August next year. That project will deliver modern facilities is expected to significantly improve the user experience for grassroots sports clubs.
Mount Eliza Cricket Club president Wayne Hicks said the existing Wedgwood Pavilion that had served the club well for many years was now “often stretched to its limits”. “Over recent seasons, the Mt Eliza Cricket Club has experienced significant growth. We now field a record number of nine senior sides including our amazing women’s team and 14 junior teams including four all girls’ teams, alongside our thriving Blaster program, which introduces cricket to young children and families,” he said.
Hicks said the cricket club, senior AFL/netball club, and junior AFL clubs were “actively collaborating with our local councillor to ensure the final design meets the future needs of all users”. He said the new western pavilion would help “create a safer, more inclusive environment, encouraging greater participation and connection across our community”.
“We believe these upgrades will support the continued growth of cricket, AFL, and netball in Mt Eliza, while providing a welcoming hub for residents and visitors alike. “The Mt Eliza Cricket Club is proud to be part of this exciting development and remains committed to working with our sporting partners and local leaders to deliver a pavilion that honours our past while building towards an even brighter future.”
First published in the Mornington News – 28 October 2025
