Construction is underway on the City of Burnside Council’s $9.18m Kensington Wama / Kensington Gardens Reserve cricket and rugby clubroom redevelopment.
Mayor, Anne Monceaux, was joined by Federal Member for Sturt, Claire Clutterham; Rhiannon Pearce MP; Minister for Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, and State Member for Dunstan, Cressida O’Hanlon and Kensington Gardens and Magill Ward Councillors, Kerry Hallett and Jo Harvey to officially turn the first sod to mark the start of works this week.
The project is being funded by $3.6 million in grants from the Federal Government’s Investing in Our Communities Program; $2.67 million from the State Government’s Regional and Districts Facilities Program (Round 1) and the Council has contributed $2.91 million.
The new clubroom will provide a key space for the 106 year old Kensington District Cricket Club, home club of Sir Donald Bradman and Clarrie Grimmett, and the Burnside Rugby Club, which is now in its 80th year. It will be a space for the community to meet, socialise and participate in recreation activities, building a foundation for social cohesion, said Mayor Monceaux.
In line with a Memorandum of Understanding with the Clubs, Council will deliver the procurement and construction elements of the project.
“The project will deliver key infrastructure for the local community and beyond to enjoy now and into the future,” Mayor Monceaux said.
“We look forward to delivering this terrific community facility, in partnership with the clubs, for Burnside.”
The project will deliver:
- six changerooms meeting universal design standards including new women’s change rooms supporting women in sport
- umpire changerooms
- accessible change room
- medical room
- clubrooms with integrated bar and kitchen (with internal and external servicing access), suitable for a variety of uses
- external deck with viewing area to Parkinson Oval
- storerooms for club equipment
- gymnasium
- elevator and ramp from ground floor to first floor
- integration with existing site landscape and hardscape areas.
The redevelopment is being delivered by Partek, an experienced South Australian construction company with a strong track record in the delivery of complex community, sporting and public infrastructure projects, in partnership with COX Architecture, one of Australia’s leading architectural practices.
“The Kensington District Cricket Club and the Burnside Rugby Union Club are proud Sturt sporting institutions with deep roots in the community. This project will deliver long overdue upgrades, providing state of the art facilities that will support not only our local cricket and rugby but the broader community,” said Ms Clutterham.
“For too long, female athletes have been forced to make do with changerooms and amenities that were never designed with them in mind. This redevelopment sends a clear message: women and girls are valued, they belong in sport, and they should have equal access to quality infrastructure that supports their participation in and enjoyment of community sport.”
