In April 2024, following extensive community consultation, the Council gave in principle support for the Barkly Street Campus as the preferred site location for the project.

Investigations and negotiations with the State Government identified numerous issues with Barkly Street. The school site had complex and costly land ownership issues, safety concerns, and the current historic buildings need expensive repairs, for which Council would then become responsible for.

Resolving all of these issues would take significant time and money, creating a major risk to the funding and overall project delivery.

Overall, Churchill is a practical and cost-effective choice for the facility, with favouable factors including:

• Churchill Reserve is ready for development, reducing delays and risks compared to other sites.
• Site preparation costs are minimal, with limited vegetation removal required.
• It is an established sporting precinct, offering the chance to link and co-locate multiple sports facilities.
• The large open space provides plenty of room for new facilities and future expansion.
• Located near Benalla’s growing residential areas,
• The site has good parking and access, supporting ease of use for visitors and clubs.

It will be built in a location that fits well with the current layout of the reserve and allows space for future growth. Exact placement will be confirmed in the coming months following further investigations and community consultation.

At Churchill Reserve, soil testing and geotechnical assessments have been completed. and it’s suitable for building. Investigations have identified potential locations which can be built on without restrictions.

Council has allocated funding to develop a precinct plan for this high profile and important site.

Upgrading the current BIRC presents several major

challenges including:

• There’s not enough room at the current site to expand the building or add more facilities. Parking and access is a problem and can't be easily improved.
• The site is often impacted by floods, making it inaccessible to the public and causing damage to the facility. Upgrades to the building to avoid the impact of future flooding are expensive and impractical.
• The BIRC would need to close for at least 18 months during construction. This would stop clubs and user groups from operating, impacting participation and stability of sports that use the current facility.

Yes. The $15 million funding from the Victorian State Government for the Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre redevelopment is not tied to one specific site. The State Government is represented on the Project Control Group for the redevelopment, meaning they are directly involved in project oversight. State Government representatives have been kept informed at every stage and endorse the process Council has undertaken so far, including the change of preferred location to Churchill Reserve.