By Ewen McRae
Cobblebank’s new indoor basketball stadium will be bigger than originally planned, after Melton council agreed to the addition of a sixth court.
Council ticked off plans in December for a $993,528, five-court stadium at Cobblebank to help ease high demand for recreation facilities within the municipality.
A motion at the April council meeting endorsed the addition of an extra court.
Council last week approved the increased costs associated with the additional court, with an extra $349,762 added to the project costs.
The stadium will now include a show court, along with five additional courts.
The move follows reports earlier this year that highlighted the strain on facilities faced by the Melton Basketball Association.
Its president, Daniel Brady, said the new courts were desperately needed.
“By the time you build six we’ll need eight, by the time you build eight we’ll need 10,” he said in April.
“Our Aussie Hoops program, which is the same as Auskick, is booked through the roof … there’s exponential growth in basketball across Melton.
“We’re very thankful to the council for getting us this stadium. This will help bring us into the 21st century.”
The Melton Basketball Association currently has 1500 registrations, with most of those being junior players.
The new stadium will be constructed on the corner of Bridge and Ferris roads.
