The future sporting and recreation precinct for Phillip Island and surrounds
4th October 2023
At the September 2023 meeting of Council, the final Master Plan for the Cowes Recreation Reserve was approved.
Phillip Island Recreation Reserve Adopted Master Plan
9th June 2023
We’re eagerly awaiting results of the recent community engagement which we believe has had one of the highest response rates of any recent Council engagement, indicating the importance of this plan to the community at large.
We hope that community input will drive the final plan, which we believe will shortly be made available.
The land chosen for the Cowes Recreation Reserve has had a chequered history. It was originally purchased by the Shire of Phillip Island as a future-proofing measure and intended to be developed as a sporting and recreational precinct.
When Victorian Council amalgamations took place in 1994, the Shires of Bass and Phillip Island, the Borough of Wonthaggi, and part of the Shires of Woorayl, Korumburra and Cranbourne were combined to create the Bass Coast Shire. The government appointed Commissioners chose to sell the land as part of their asset rationalisation.
It was not until 2010 that Bass Coast Shire Council repurchased half of the original lot.
In 2014 this was renamed in Honour of Hilton Chadwick, a former Councillor of the Shire of Phillip Island who continued as an employee of Bass Coast Shire for 16 years until his passing. Hilton was a well respected community member, a fountain of knowledge, and played an important part in improving emergency management planning for major events in Bass Coast.
In 2021 they finally acquired the balance of the land which allowed the Recreation Precinct to be planned.
Location of the 80 acre site
In 2023 Council prepared a Master Plan which was presented to the community for consultation and comment.
Plan presented to the community for consultation in 2023
A great deal of feedback was received by Council, both as direct comments
Over 260 comments from the community were provided.
and as responses to an online survey.