But the State Government announced last year it was planning to build a kindergarten next to the college, and with construction now underway it is expected to open in term one, 2026.
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The kindergarten will have two kindergarten rooms for up to 66 children. An approved provider will be appointed and announced in late 2025.
Council communities and place director Kevin O’Brien said council had been forced to rework its plans to ensure the proposed regional sports stadium could proceed.
“Late last year we had HB Arch – who developed the layout designs for the regional sports feasibility study – rework the Dimboola Road regional sports stadium concept layout when the kindergarten proposal was put forward by the State Government School Building Authority, to ascertain if the kindergarten could be located on the site without impacting on the proposed regional sports stadium,” she said.
“It was determined that both facilities could operate on the same site with some adjustments made to the overall layout.”
The council’s plan also includes developing Dudley Cornell Park in Horsham North to include a municipal athletics facility and local cricket ovals with additional car parking.
Additional tennis courts at Haven will also create a regionally-significant facility, with concept plans including municipal-level soccer pitches, a local cricket oval, community hub and open space.
When council voted 4-3 to endorse the feasibility study in 2023, Horsham sporting club representatives called it a ‘red-letter day’ that had been 35 years in the making.
Seven project briefing meetings with 16 Wimmera clubs and associations informed the feasibility study. The council also engaged 13 state sporting associations.
The feasibility study considered population and participation trends for the next 10 to 20 years and deemed a single precinct was not financially viable, nor possible due to land availability.
Instead, the study identified that a mix of regional, municipal and local facilities would best cater for current and emerging needs – classified in accordance with participation numbers and population. A distributed model provided affordable upgrade options that could be implemented as funding became available.
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