Brendan Simpkins

A MULTI-MILLION dollar transformation of sporting facilities in Gawler is out for community consultation.

An ambitious master plan for the area that spans from Victoria Terrace to Paterson Terrace has been completed and a report was put to Gawler Council at the November 10 Corporate and Community Services committee meeting.

Titled the Essex Park and Gawler Showgrounds master plan, the report cost $84,850 with council contributing $50,000 towards the project.

The Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing contributed an additional $34,850 in grant funding which council successfully obtained through the February 2019 round of the Planning and Research Program.

Part of the upgrade has already been completed, with the refurbishment of the Gawler Aquatic Centre unveiled in October.

The rest of the plan sees an additional five precincts set to undergo significant transformations.

This includes upgrades to the Gawler Oval, Princes Park, Hallam Drive Precinct, Netball Association Precinct and the Gawler Sports and Community Centre.

Key issues identified included poor connectivity and ageing facilities, while beautification of the area will also take place.

More than 17 sporting and community groups use facilities within the area.

Population growth in Gawler is expected to be substantial in coming decades, with a number of housing developments situated in and around the area.

From the period of 2016 to 2031, the town’s population is expected to grow by 30.67 per cent.

Stakeholders of the facilities were issued a user survey, with results showing that the majority of clubs expected their memberships to grow by at least 10 per cent over the next five years.

Gawler Mayor Karen Redman said the plan was future proofing for the population boom by upgrading facilities ahead of time.
“The Essex Park Master Plan is an important step towards our future, it addresses one of the many sport and recreation needs of both the existing community and also our future community,” she said.

“We believe this master plan, with so many layers and elements to it, will double the participation rate that this area currently enjoys, and that can only be a good thing for health and well-being.

“Sport and recreation has a long and proud history in Gawler, so it is right and proper that council puts in future planning.”

Adelaide-based JPE Design Studio and Inside Edge Sport and Leisure Planning collaborated on the designs for the master plan.

With that now completed, Ms Redman said the next step for council was to start engaging conversations with different levels of government about securing external funding.

“Before you can go out to federal or state partners you have to have a master plan,” she said.

“We have now got that so we can now have those discussions with those potential partners and invest in one of the fastest growing areas in South Australia,” she said.

Ms Redman encouraged the community to have its say on the plan.