Sunbury residents are calling for action to utilise the old Masters hardware store site as a sporting and entertainment facility, as population growth continues to put strain on the town.
The site, which sits just off Vineyard Road at 3 Deveny Road, is privately owned and has been empty since all Masters stores closed their doors in December 2016.
Partick Esse has lived in Sunbury since 1992 and has been pushing for the empty site to be used as a sporting facility since the start of the year. For him, it’s a no brainer.
“The infrastructure is there, all it basically would require is toilets, amenities and the courts to be laid,” he said.
“There’s ample car parking out the front and it would serve Sunbury and Diggers Rest. It’s also situated right on the end of the industrial estate so it’s not going to impact housing.
“It would be great for basketball, netball, indoor cricket, volleyball, and it could have a gymnasium.”
Mr Esse believes it is a simple solution to help boost infrastructure.
“I don’t think Sunbury is prepared for growth. There’s not enough infrastructure in the town, I think it’s sad, Sunbury is a lovely town.
“You’ve only got to look at the number of youth and kids in town… it’s just getting bigger and bigger all the time. If you had a big sporting complex, it could be a hub of the west.”
Fellow resident Maggie Loveland said she would like to see the site used as an entertainment centre, especially for dance recitals.
“Two of my granddaughters [dance] and their dance schools are forced to go to South Morang Entertainment Centre, Darebin Arts Centre or to the Kyneton Theatre… to do their end of year recitals,” she said.
“It’s just ridiculous they have to go so far away, it’s so expensive. We’ve got nothing here in Sunbury. We just seem to be on the backburner with everything.
“It makes it really hard and when Sunbury is growing so much it’s crazy. If you had that facility it would be so much more economical for everybody.
“The western side of Melbourne gets left behind in everything.”
Mr Esse said he approached Sunbury MP Josh Bull and Hume council early this year about the idea.
In May, the Herald Sun published a story regarding Mr Bull’s push for the vacant site to be used for commercial development, including sporting opportunities.
“The answer I got back [from Mr Bull] was that it is privately owned and we can’t do anything about it,” Mr Esse said.
“If Josh Bull thinks this is such a great idea why has he not done something about it?”
Mr Bull said he was disappointed to see the former Masters site still vacant, and in May this year he wrote to Masters suggesting a dialogue begin in relation to the future of the site.
“Commercial tenancies are private matters however as our local member I have always been committed to working with the local community to find solutions to the challenges that we face,” he said.
“I would love to see the site being utilised as a sporting facility- I am a great supporter of local sports and recreation and as our community is growing rapidly.
“It would be wonderful to be able to provide new areas for our local families to train and play.”
Hume mayor Naim Kurt said there are upgrades to Sunbury’s sports reserves ear marked in council’s 2023-24 budget.
“Unfortunately the Sunbury Masters site is privately owned land and subject to an approved planning permit at the owner’s discretion,” Cr Kurt said.
“More and more people are choosing Sunbury to raise their young families with another 60,000 people estimated to move to the area by 2041.
“That’s why we’re making provisions in our upcoming budget to have sporting amenities in place in the coming years.”
