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Benalla Rural City Council has secured $15 million from the State Government for the Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre (BIRC) Redevelopment. The goal is to create an inclusive sporting hub for all ages, promoting active and healthy lifestyles. This modern facility will address the limitations of the ageing Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre (BIRC), which is now 40 years old and faces challenges in meeting community expectations and sporting code compliance. The redevloped stadium aims to set a benchmark for environmentally sustainable design in the Benalla area, adapting to community needs and climate change over time.

Your input is crucial in shaping this exciting project!

Site Selection and Consultation Results

Update: April 2024

The full results from the Site Selection Stage of community consultation were presented to Council at the 10 April Finance and Planning Meeting. The Council Report and consultation data can be found in the Document Library section on this page. Community Members can also view the report to Council on Council's YouTube Page.

The decision on the final site will be made at the 24 April Council Meeting

Preferred Site Voting

Preferred Site Electronic Votes

Electronic Voting Summary

A review of the surveys submitted revealed contrasting trends between the electronic (642 submissions) and paper-based (74 submissions) surveys.

Paper-Based Surveys

  • The current Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre at Ackerly Avenue was the preferred location for the project at 83.8 percent (62 votes), 12.1 percent (9 votes) prefer Benalla P-12 College Barkly Street site and 4.1 percent (3 votes) selected Churchill Recreation Reserve.
  • Churchill Recreation Reserve was the least preferred location at 59.1 percent (39 votes), followed by Benalla P-12 College Barkly Street site 34.8 percent (23 votes) and current Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre at Ackerly Avenue 6.1 percent (4 votes)

Combined Data

  • Most preferred site: Benalla P-12 College Barkly Street site received 51 percent of votes, the current Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre at Ackerly Avenue received 24.5 percent of votes and Churchill Recreation Reserve received 24.5 percent of votes.
  • Least preferred site: the current Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre at Ackerly Avenue received 41 percent of votes, Churchill Recreation Reserve received 41 percent

Project Background

On 23 May 2023 the Honourable State Member for Northern Victoria – Jaclyn Symes announced $15 Million funding for the redevelopment of the Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre (BIRC).

The Council, at its meeting on 11 October 2023, resolved to award the Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre Redevelopment Architectural Services Contract to architects Brand & Co Pty Ltd.

Council will work with Brand across all stages of the design process from site selection to final design.

Key Stages

Select a stage for further detail.

What do we want to learn? Preferred site and initial ideas from the community.

There are two key priorities for community engagement during Site Selection. The first is to launch the BIRC Redevelopment project to the community and provide details on the future stages as the project progresses towards completion.

The other priority is to determine the site for the stadium to be built. Brand have conducted an initial assessment of the three potential sites (Ackerly, Barkly, and Churchill) to determine their suitability as a location for the stadium. This assessment, alongside other supporting information will be presented to the community for feedback throughout December and January. The decision on the selected site will occur in February, taking into consideration Brand’s recommendations, Council input, and the results of the community engagement campaign. Specific site and stadium design feedback will be sought during the Concept Design Stage.

Visit the Site Selection Page

What do we want to learn? Community input on stadium design, facilities and amenities to be included, opportunities for shared resources, site specific feedback.

Concept Design Stage Considerations – The specific detail that will be included during this phase will be highly impacted by the selected site. Information and engagement will be tailored to gather a clear understanding of ideas and needs from the community, Council and user groups.

What do we want to learn?

Does the developed design meet the community’s expectations – Has anything been missed?

At the Detailed Design stage Brand Architects will share the completed designs with the community and Council. This stage will demonstrate how the redevelopment will meet community needs and how consultation has shaped the final design.

December 2023 - February 2024 - Site selection consultation is now closed

Brand have completed a feasibility assessment on three potential sites for the Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre (BIRC) Redevelopment project.

The three potential sites are:

  • Option 1 - Ackerly Avenue, current location of Benalla Indoor Recreation Centre
  • Option 2 - Churchill Recreation Reserve – Waller Street, Benalla
  • Option 3 - Former Benalla P-12 College Barkly Street Campus – 41-55 Barkly Street; Benalla.
We are currently seeking feedback on the communities preferred location. Visit the Site Selection page to view full details for this first stage of the BIRC Redevelopment project.