Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf and the Hon Jacinta Allan, Member for Bendigo East will officially open the $4.9M redevelopment of the Kennington Recreation Reserve at 2.30pm Friday October 21, 2022.
City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the project has delivered a complete redevelopment of the existing pavilion along with improved car parking, landscaping and spectator viewing areas.
"The reserve is home to the Bendigo United Cricket Club and the redevelopment has supported the full relocation of South Bendigo Football Netball Club from the Queen Elizabeth Oval to Kennington," Cr Metcalf said.
"It's been an important project because the reserve caters for over 700 players and provides improved facilities for the wider community."
Member for Bendigo East the Hon Jacinta Allan said the redevelopment has provided important new facilities for girls and women to participate in sport and healthy activity within their local area.
"It means the user clubs will have the ability to expand their programs, develop more junior teams and target female participation," Ms Allan said.
"It also supports the demand for sporting facilities to cater for growing sports participation rates."
This project included the construction of a new pavilion featuring:
- Four compliant change rooms and associated player amenities
- First aid/massage room/all abilities change room, umpire room with dedicated facilities for male and female use
- Public amenities with internal and external access
- Social/community function and meeting space, kiosk and kitchen along with meeting room/administration office, storage for tenant groups and back of house facilities
- Spectator area for viewing the oval and netball courts
- External storage to support netball and oval sports activities
Other works included construction of a car park at Glencoe Street, an accessible pathway from the car park to the pavilion and shared use zone for vehicle access to the eastern side of the pavilion for deliveries and emergency vehicles.
The project was a key action of the City's Kennington Recreation Reserve Masterplan that has built on previous improvements already undertaken by the City at the reserve including the redevelopment of the tennis courts to accommodate netball and tennis, installation of court and oval lighting, tree protection, landscaping and the installation of a new oval scoreboard.
The $4.9M project was funded by a $2.9M contribution from the City of Greater Bendigo and $2M from the Victorian Government Department of Sport and Recreation Victoria.
