Saints the winners in council land buy
Extra green space near the St Kilda Football Club’s training ground will soon make marching in to the sports hub even easier.
The warehouse at 2 Horscroft Place, Moorabbin was recently bought by Kingston Council to create an easy walking route to the Linton St sports hub.
The council purchased the industrial building for $2.49 million in an off-market deal.
Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley says the site will be knocked down to create better pedestrian access to the grounds, which are used by the Saints, Sandringham Dragons and Southern Football League.
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“This green space will better connect the community and visitors to Moorabbin Reserve, and provide much-needed additional green space for the suburb’s growing population,” Oxley says.
2 Horscroft Place, Moorabbin was bought for $2.49 million by Kingston Council.
The acquired block is next to Healey St Reserve and Horscroft Lane, which are commonly used by pedestrians walking from Moorabbin train station to the oval.
A larger grassy patch will now make the stroll pleasant and safer.
Other improvements are underway at the oval, also known as RSEA Safety Park, including a new aquatic centre and 1000-seat grandstand.
St Kilda Football Club chief executive Matt Finnis welcomed the news and says it will enhance the facilities, which have been used as the club’s primary training facility since March last year.’
The warehouse is near St Kilda’s training grounds.
“The most appealing aspect of returning to Moorabbin was the chance to reconnect with the community in our heartland,” Finnis says.
“One of the great strengths of the sporting precinct is the number of community groups who benefit from the facilities.”
The Saints used the reserve as their home ground from 1965 to 1992 before moving games to Waverley Park.
They moved their training to Belvedere Park in Seaford in 2010 before returning to their historic heartland.
The Linton St oval before redevelopment works began. Picture: Chris Eastman
The club is partly funding the $30 million redevelopment of Moorabbin Reserve that includes new footpaths, a playground, female change rooms and extra lighting and carparking.
St Kilda’s AFLW team will train and play at the oval when they join the competition in the 2020 season.
Kingston Council had poured more than $5 million into the works before the latest property acquisition.
This article from Leader Newspapers originally appeared as “St Kilda Football Club’s Moorabbin base to benefit from council buy”.
