Brendan Simpkins

A FUNDING win for Gawler Council will kick-start its planned overhaul of the Essex Park and Gawler Showgrounds precinct.

Attorney-General Vickie Chapman last week announced that Gawler was one of 27 councils to receive funding in the 2020-21 round of the Open Spaces and Places for People Grants program.

Council secured a grant of $356,500 for the first stage of an upgrade to the Princes Park Community Recreation Hub.

The total cost of this stage is estimated at $768,000, with council to contribute $411,500.

Gawler Mayor Karen Redman said this aspect of the Essex Park and Gawler Showgrounds master plan aligned with the grant opportunity, and was chosen as the first stage to get under way because of this.

“It is great to develop a long-term vision for this key community asset through the master plan and then be able to commence its implementation so quickly, in the same way council has been able to with the Karbeethan Reserve master plan,” she said.

“It reinforces that council is committed to not only planning for the future of our recreation and sporting assets, but also the delivery of outcomes that can benefit the community, providing physical and mental-health benefits.”

Elected members had authorised the submission at council’s first meeting for the year on January 27, alongside bids for the Lyndoch Road streetscape beautification project and for a new playground in Gawler West.

The other two submissions were unsuccessful.

Stage one of the precinct’s upgrade will include a shared-use boulevard from Gawler Oval Station to the Sport and Community Centre, adjusted width of Princes Park to accommodate a compliant junior football/cricket oval and the installation of a community court.

The Gawler Show Society’s sheds will also be upgraded or replaced under stage one, with the Gawler and Districts Racing Pigeon Club to be relocated to an improved facility within the precinct.

Ms Redman said work was expected to start in late 2021 or early next year.

This is due to a large number of events that will be held in the area, including the Gawler Show and the finals of Barossa, Light and Gawler’s football and netball competitions.

The full redevelopment of the area is expected to take place in stages over the next decade.

Under the master plan, the area has been broken down into five distinct precincts – Essex Park and the Gawler Aquatic Centre; Hallam Drive; Netball Association; Princes Park and Gawler Showgrounds; and Gawler Oval.

A report will be presented to a future Corporate and Community Services Committee meeting, likely to be in September, which will focus on the implementation of the Essex Park and Gawler Showgrounds master plan.