Regional sports precinct in Mernda

We’re upgrading the intersection of Everton Drive and Sissinghurst Parade to improve safety and provide access to the future Regional Sports Precinct at Mernda.

The project will convert the existing intersection into a four-leg roundabout, improving safety and making it easier to move through the area. This follows the completion of the new Plenty Road-Everton Drive signalised intersection, which is now open to traffic.

The project is expected to be completed by mid-May 2026. 

Construction is officially underway on the regional sports precinct’s indoor stadium and outdoor courts, in what promises to be a ‘game-changer’ for sport in the fast-growing northern suburbs. 

City of Whittlesea Councillor Blair Colwell and CEO Craig Lloyd joined with Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell to mark the milestone at the Plenty Road site.

Whittlesea local and rising Melbourne Vixens star Tara Watson, junior netballers from the Northern Pride Netball Association and netball and basketball administrators were also in attendance. 

For more information, visit the page Major milestone in Mernda’s regional sports precinct project.

Work is progressing to prepare the site for the construction of the indoor stadium and outdoor netball courts.

The earthworks include removing rocks, levelling the ground and preparing the site for installation of sewer, water and fire services.

These preliminary works are being completed in advance of Council calling for tenders in 2025 for the facility’s construction. 

The regional sports precinct will be built on land at Plenty Road in Mernda, to the north of Bridge Inn Road.

As part of the regional sports precinct development, Everton Drive has been extended about 100 metres east to connect to Plenty Road, creating a new intersection.

This traffic light-controlled intersection will not only help ease congestion around Mernda, but provide access to the sports precinct in Everton Drive.

Work on the extension and intersection began in early April 2024 and finished in mid-September 2025.

For more information about the Plenty Road-Everton Drive intersection project, go to the Plenty Road-Everton Drive intersection page.

In March 2024, the Victorian Government committed $10 million in Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution funding to deliver regional sports precinct-related transport infrastructure project. 

These include not only the design and construction of the Everton Drive-Plenty Road extension and intersection, but a roundabout at the intersection of Everton Drive and Sissinghurst Parade, a new entrance into the precinct from Plenty Road and an internal access road. 

On 4 September 2024, City of Whittlesea CEO Craig Lloyd and Member for Yan Yean Lauren Kathage MP turned the ceremonial first sod on the transport projects. Read the media release, Projects to provide easy access to Regional Sports Precinct. 

The upgraded intersection at Everton Drive and Sissinghurst Parade was opened to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians in May 2026. Minor works, including landscaping within the roundabout, will be undertaken in the coming weeks.

At our Council Meeting on 19 March 2024, we approved a concept design for the regional sports precinct’s indoor stadium and outdoor netball facilities.

The concept design provides for four indoor multipurpose courts and eight outdoor netball courts.

It also includes car parking, landscaping, wetlands development and the installation of associated supporting infrastructure at the site.

The new courts will help to boost participation rates across a number of sports, including netball and basketball, and reduce the need for residents to travel outside the municipality.

On 30 August 2024, City of Whittlesea CEO Craig Lloyd was joined by Member for Yan Yean Lauren Kathage MP to turn the first sod on the construction of the indoor stadium. Read the media release, Sporting precinct a game-changer for region.

Artist’s impression

Construction of the regional sports precinct will be staged to allow for other facilities, such as aquatic and leisure facilities, to be potentially added in the future.

The provision of aquatic and leisure facilities is dependent on further consideration of the financial implications, including any available state and/or federal government funding, by Council in the 2025-26 financial year.

Council’s Active Whittlesea Strategy 2019-2028 outlines some of the health and wellbeing challenges facing residents in the City of Whittlesea.

These include:

• Higher-than-state-average rates of lifestyle conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis
• Higher rate than the state average of smoking
• Increasing rates of obesity and heart disease.

A lack of conveniently located, accessible and purpose-built sporting facilities is a known barrier to people engaging in physical activity.

The regional sports precinct in Mernda will help improve the quality of life among the region’s residents by providing a place where people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities can participate.

Council established a community stakeholder reference group in early 2024 to provide feedback throughout the regional sports precinct’s design process.

The group included representatives from Netball Victoria, Basketball Victoria, a local netball association and a local school, as well as a local resident and CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) advocate to ensure the facility met the needs of the broader community.

Some residents might know the regional sports precinct by its previous name ‘Regional Aquatic and Sports Centre’.

This is the same project. We just adopted a new working title in March 2024. We will consider a permanent name for the precinct in the future.

The Federal Government has committed $10 million from its Thriving Suburbs Program towards the cost of the indoor stadium, and $1.5 million from its Play Our Way Program towards the outdoor netball courts.

The State Government has made an election commitment of $10 million towards the indoor stadium, and contributed $10 million from its Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution fund towards transport infrastructure.

The Victorian Government has also committed a further $10 million towards the delivery of the aquatic component of the project.

   

The City of Whittlesea is committed to providing the sport and recreation facilities its growing population needs to live healthy and active lives.

Netball and basketball are two of the largest participation sports in the municipality, however, the demand for courts currently outstrips supply.

As a result, many players are choosing to play in competitions held in neighbouring municipalities.

Demand is only expected to increase as the population of the City of Whittlesea’s northern communities grows.

A modern, fit-for-purpose sports court precinct at Mernda will help to meet this demand and increase participation.

Council has approved a concept design providing for four indoor multipurpose sports courts and up to eight outdoor netball courts.

The final number of courts will be dependent on the level of funding available.

The courts will be made available to local sporting organisations, primary and high schools and community members.

A detailed programming schedule will be formulated closer to the precinct’s opening.

Community consultation conducted in 2020 showed that residents would value having access to swimming facilities in addition to the indoor and outdoor multipurpose courts.

Council has since explored options that would include sports courts and aquatic facilities.

In July 2022, Council endorsed a business case for the construction of the new regional precinct which included plans for multipurpose courts and a 50-metre pool.

The project has been staged to allow for it to be built as funding is secured for each part of the project.

Council is reliant on Federal and State Government funding to build this project which has been costed in excess of $180 million.

So far Council has been promised $10 million from the Victorian Government’s Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution fund towards the construction of road infrastructure, including the Everton Drive intersection upgrade.

Council has also received $10 million for sports courts from the Victorian Government with another $10 million flagged for future aquatics.

As a result, Council has begun ground works on the site and will build the sports courts.

Detailed design work will be undertaken on the possibility of including aquatic and leisure facilities, such as a pool, spa and gymnasium, in the third stage of the development.

A report will then come to Council for consideration in the 2025-26 financial year outlining the fiscal implications, including any state and/or federal government funding either committed or available to apply for.

The extension of Everton Drive and resultant intersection at Plenty Road is required to improve traffic flow around Mernda and provide access to the future regional sports precinct.

The extension was identified in both the Mernda Strategy Plan (2004) and Everton Gardens Development Plan as necessary to manage traffic flow as Mernda’s population grows. 

The Plenty Road-Everton Drive intersection is complete and a roundabout has been constructed at the intersection of Everton Drive and Sissinghurst Parade.

The roundabout provides vehicles access to the regional sports precinct.

There will also be a new entrance to the precinct from Plenty Road and an internal access road constructed.

More information about this project will be communicated in due course.