Albury City Council has this week awarded a $14.5 million construction tender to upgrade the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.
The Council has selected Lavington company, Zauner Construction, to carry out Stage 1 of the redevelopment project, with the help of $5 million from the NSW Government’s Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund.
Zauner Construction has extensive experience in large-scale construction projects for both private and government sectors, including multi-purpose sporting halls of similar value and complexity.
The project will deliver much-needed upgrades to the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre, providing opportunities for increased participation in sports and activities for both men and women, better spectator and player comfort, and greater capacity to host large-scale tournaments, bringing significant economic benefit to the region.
Mayor, Kylie King said the awarding of the construction tender was a crucial step in a major project for one of Albury’s iconic venues.
“This is a cause for celebration, and we are excited to reach this milestone and to see the vision for this enhanced venue begin to take shape,” she said.
“Not only will this project enhance our offerings for the community to watch and take part in sport and recreation, the venue’s increased capacity will also enable us to attract high-profile interstate tournaments to our city.”
NSW Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper, said projects like these show the Government’s commitment to upgrading sporting facilities so that they can best meet the needs of the whole community they serve.
“Local sport infrastructure plays a critical role in keeping communities healthy, active and connected and the upgrades to the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre will see more people be able to participate in sport and recreation both on and off the court,” he said.
The project is the first part of the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre Master Plan, which was adopted in 2018 following extensive community consultation and is consistent with the recently endorsed Stage 2 Masterplan for Lauren Jackson Sports Centre and Aquatics Facility.
Deliverables of the redevelopment include:
- upgraded and compliant courts
- new player and family-accessible changerooms
- first aid room
- increased show court seating capacity from 1,000 to 1,400
- new meeting room and corporate space
- tournament hosting space storage spaces
- outdoor shade structures and landscaping. Â
In addition to the NSW Government funding, Council has allocated funds in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 budgets in recognition that the redevelopment of the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre is a priority project for the city.Â
Work on the upgrade is expected to begin in September and is scheduled for completion by early 2026.
The Council has signed a lease agreement with The Scots School Albury to use two indoor courts outside of school hours.  Â
