Upgrades for Walkerville Oval sporting precinct, as 39 Smith St recreation building and bowling club to be replaced
An Adelaide council will upgrade its oval and completely replace two ageing recreation and bowling clubs under a $16.5m plan. See the images.
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A new indoor recreation centre, rebuilt bowling and commuity club and an upgraded oval are all part of four separate upgrades under a $16.5m renovation revolution by an inner-northern suburbs council.
Three project by Walkerville Council have already started, including a new recreation centre at 39 Smith St. The old building has been knocked down and construction on a new $10m centre starts in the new year.
Meanwhile, the Walkerville Bowling and Community club will be demolished in late 2024 and a new $5m centre built. Both should be open by the end of 2025.
And the council will redevelop the Walkerville Oval sporting precinct, with new oval lighting, upgraded tennis courts and new cricket nets under a $1.5m project. Those upgrades will occur in between the other two projects.
The council is also planning a currently unbudgeted Walkervill Sports Club renovation. Initial planning is set to begin early next year.
A report says the existing 39 Smith St recreation building is “beyond its reasonable life” and should be torn down.
“(It) requires replacement to bring it up to current standards,” the report said.
Walkerville Mayor Melissa Jones said the redevelopment was essential, particularly for facilities such as the bowls club.
“That building was at the end of its life. It’s about 60 years old and kind of really falling apart,” Ms Jones said.
“While it’s primarily a bowling and community club, it will be able to be used for lots of different things.
“We know the bridge club currently uses it, and lots of people will be able to use it for a 21st and parties, so it will just be a really great community facility.”
Ms Jones said the redevelopment will give the area a much-needed boost and cater to “a wide variety of people”.
“We’ll have programs for everyone,” she said.
As part of the three-stage makeover, a building with multi-use sports courts, offices, amenities and a kiosk will be built, while a clubroom at the Walkerville Bowling and Community Club will be demolished and redeveloped.
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