Bisinella Developments has unveiled a proposal to construct a community basketball facility and sports and leisure precinct on Forest Road South, Lara, which will help address a chronic shortage of indoor facilities in Geelong while creating a catalyst for a dynamic new commercial centre.
The proposed Bisinella Stadium Lara facility includes six indoor basketball courts, land for three outdoor courts, amenities and car parking. The state-of-the-art stadium will be the centrepiece of Bisinella Enterprise Park, a 33.92-hectare development that would transform the gateway to the Lara township from unused farmland into a thriving community centre generating jobs and investment in one of Victoria’s fasted growing regions.
The proposal also includes the restoration of an historic farmhouse, which would be re-purposed as a café or community centre, and help connect Lara’s rich past with its exciting future.
The proposal includes the development of 95 light industrial lots of approximately 1,000 to 3,000 square metres and will entail the rezoning of the land from its current Farming Zone to an Industrial Zone under the City of Greater Geelong’s planning scheme. The proposal will be subject to applicable planning and approval requirements at both State and Local Government level.
Bisinella Developments is one of Geelong’s leading residential, commercial and industrial developers, and the Bisinella family has been an integral part of the Lara community for more than 60 years. The proposal builds on the family’s long history of support for local sport, recreation and community development.
Bisinella Developments' CEO Richard Bisinella said the proposed basketball facility was an opportunity to leave a lasting community and sporting legacy and would help meet an increasingly urgent need for local sports facilities.
He said the idea for the project had come from a casual conversation around the urgent need for these facilities with You Yangs Ward Councillor Chris Burson together with local basketball club volunteers who were desperately seeking to fix a chronic lack of courts for the area’s booming population.
“Lara has been part of our family’s story for generations. Our support for local sport, including the Lara Giants, reflects a long-standing commitment to the community we call home,” Mr Bisinella said.
“So when the local community came to us to explore possible sites for some new courts, we saw this as a great way to demonstrate our commitment in a meaningful and long-lasting way that would deliver a place where young people can train, teams can compete and the wider community can come together.”
Mr Bisinella said Geelong United Basketball is Australia's largest regional basketball association, however there are no plans for any additional facilities by either the State Government or the City of Greater Geelong. He said the lack of courts in the area was so chronic that when two local Lara teams play each other, they have to do so at Armstrong Creek, a good 30-45 minute drive away.
“Geelong has more than 10,000 players, 932 teams and 11 competitions, but despite this the Lara Giants currently hire school courts at commercial rates for training and cannot host games in the township. The need for more courts exists independently of our proposal and for local families and clubs, this is about access to facilities and the opportunity to play closer to home.”
Mr Bisinella said his family had been overwhelmed by the response of the basketball community to the proposal, but said it was essential that the proposed rezoning and development is assessed on its planning merits and would need to undergo a comprehensive public evaluation.
“We have been working with the City of Greater Geelong to identify the most appropriate assessment pathway for the project and to ensure we engage with the community at every stage along the way through a rigorous and transparent process.
“We want to be clear about what we are proposing and what needs to happen before anything can proceed,” he said.
Mr Bisinella said the employment component of the proposal aims to respond to demand for serviced, small-to-medium industrial land in northern Geelong. He said the basketball facility addresses an evident need for accessible sporting infrastructure, and there is an opportunity for two separate but complimentary objectives to be planned and assessed as an integrated part of the site’s development from the outset.
“We anticipate the proposed development will also present opportunities for schools, clubs, community groups, events and emergency services to make use of a strategically located facility, so we expect these potential future uses to emerge through this engagement process,” he said.
“This is a community that loves its sports and outdoor lifestyle, so we expect a range of other sports and leisure-related opportunities to emerge.”
While detailed terms for the delivery of the community basketball facility are still being developed, Bisinella Developments is proposing to fund the planning and construction of the facility, as well as significant upgrades to public infrastructure and new features such as bike and walking paths. On completion, the facility would be made available under a (peppercorn) lease to the Lara Giants and/or Geelong United Basketball.
No opening date has been proposed at this stage. The centre-piece basketball facilities are expected to take approximately three years to plan, design and construct.
Mr Bisinella said: “This is a significant investment for our family, and one that requires great care and diligence. We want a legacy that reflects what Lara needs and what the community values, and we need to get that right from the outset.
“We are excited about the response from the community so far, but there is a lot of work ahead before the first shovel goes into the dirt.
For more information: https://www.bisinella.com.au/bisinella-enterprise-park/