By Garry Howe
Cranbourne may soon be home to a 1000-seat convention centre.
The Cranbourne Turf Club has earmarked the site of its old outdoor betting ring for the ambitious $7 million project, which it hopes will be built by early 2019.
Chief executive Neil Bainbridge said the development had been on the cards for a couple of years and was a critical part of the club’s master plan for the Grant Street racing and entertainment precinct.
He also said it would fulfill a real need for such a facility in the City of Casey and beyond, complementing the soon-to-open Bunjil Place development in Narre Warren.
A planning application will be lodged with the City of Casey within days.
“Based on our research there is a clear and present need for a significant function centre in Melbourne’s south-east,” Mr Bainbridge said.
“It will allow schools and sporting clubs in the City of Casey to have their major events locally and it will also attract events from neighbouring areas as well.”
It is proposed that the Cranbourne Convention Centre would have a capacity for 1000 people, but have five separate areas to cater for as few as 200.
The centre would operate separately from the racing centre, with its own access from Grant Street, to allow private functions to be run on race days.
“It will significantly enhance the gateway to racing centre and will ensure that function and events can occur irrespectively of whether racing is being conducted across all of the codes,” Mr Bainbridge said.
“The club already hosts 95 non-race day events. A lot of our feedback demonstrates a clear need to cater for 500 to 700, up to 1000 people.
“It will be a significant attraction to Cranbourne and the City of Casey, creating a large number of jobs.”
Mr Bainbridge said the project would be a major focus for the club in 2018.
“By time a tender process is run, construction could start in the first half of 2018, with probably a nine to 12-month construction period, to be opened in the first quarter of 2019.”
It is also believed the government is close to announcing the development of a 300-room hotel within the Grant Street precinct and the old pool site has also been earmarked for a cinema complex.
