Public Works Committee: Glandore Oval Redevelopment

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (11:49): I move:

That the 141^st report of the committee, entitled Glandore Oval Redevelopment, be noted.

Glandore Oval is a recreation area located off South Road in the suburb of Glandore. The oval and its associated facilities are currently home to the Adelaide Cricket Club and Westminster Old Scholars Football Club and are regularly used by SEDA College and Black Forest Primary School. The oval and its surrounds are also popular with the local community as a place for recreation and exercise

Built in the 1950s, the current clubroom no longer meets the standards required by clubs and groups who use the oval. In 2022, the state government committed $5 million towards a redevelopment of the site, and in 2023 community consultation was undertaken regarding plans for the site's future. A preliminary concept design was presented to the City of Marion in March this year, which council considered after a second round of community consultation. The site plan was subsequently revised, improving the perimeter landscaping and retaining a number of courts in the south-eastern area of the site.

The proposed project between the City of Marion and the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing aims to create a multifunctional community-use site, including new multisport clubrooms as well as modern recreational facilities which can be adapted to suit various needs. The project master plan aims to limit the impact of the project on neighbouring properties, as informed by the feedback received during community consultation phases.

The design sympathetically integrates the clubroom with the site and the surrounding area and will increase parking, provide public washroom facilities and improve pedestrian access. Main works include demolition of the existing clubroom and five other smaller buildings across the site, and construction of a new single-storey clubroom building including:

a large 180-person multifunction space;

a new bar, commercial kitchen and canteen;

audiovisual equipment for meetings and presentations;

four inclusive change rooms that are compliant with AFL guidelines;

a meeting room;

storage spaces for sporting equipment; and

toilets with external public access.

Ancillary works include:

construction of a maintenance and storage shed;

installation of a car park to the rear of the clubhouse;

improved traffic and parking on Margaret Street, including 36 new parking bays;

landscaping and paved pedestrian paths around the oval and building; and

upgrades to the site services, including water, electricity, stormwater and sewerage.

Construction is anticipated to commence late this year, with the expectation for it to be complete by December 2026.

The project is expected to cost $9.6 million, comprised of the $5 million election commitment from the state government and a further $4.6 million approved by the City of Marion. Once the building is complete, the council intends to lease it back to current users on terms consistent with the council's Leasing and Licensing of Council Owned Facilities Policy. The Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing states that an economic impact report anticipates a total economic impact of $19.4 million, as well as the creation of 49 full-time equivalent jobs throughout the project's life cycle.

The council will have sole responsibility for the management and implementation of the project in accordance with its policies and procedures, as well as for the reporting and accountability requirements outlined in the funding agreement between the state government and the council. All procurement will be undertaken by the City of Marion Procurement and Contract Management Policy, with the City of Marion utilising a two-stage delivery approach with detailed design already complete and a suitable qualified construction contractor to be selected through an expression of interest tender process. The project will be managed utilising the City of Marion's Project Management Framework and be overseen by an in-house project manager.

The City of Marion uses environmentally sustainable design guidelines for all new buildings and structures. Projects must also demonstrate contribution to, and alignment with, the city's Carbon Neutral Plan. The project incorporates the following sustainability initiatives:

the decommissioning and removal of the existing natural gas connection;

efficient automated and zoned heating, ventilation and air-conditioning controls;

heat recovery technology for refrigerant units;

efficient automated LED lighting;

a 35-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system and provision for a future battery;

a solar hot water system and efficient fixtures and tapware; and

rainwater collection.

The project team has undertaken multiple phases of consultation with the community across key project design milestones. The first phase informed nearby residents of the project, inviting early feedback for initial design. The second phase released the initial concept plans to the public, with responses indicating 72 per cent of respondents supporting that plan. Based upon feedback, the City of Marion revised the plans, which were released back to the community.

In addition to community consultation, the City of Marion has been in direct consultation with key Glandore users to ensure designs are satisfactory to their needs. The Torrens to Darlington planning code will also need to be considered for this project given the oval's proximity to the South Road corridor. The Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing states that major development works fall outside the corridor; however, some landscaping may fall within the zone. The Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing states that a search of the central archive identified no entries for Aboriginal sites at the Glandore Oval precinct and that there are no existing local or state heritage projects at the site.

The committee examined written and oral evidence in relation to the Glandore Oval redevelopment. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were Tim Nicholas, Director, Corporate Strategy and Investment, Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, and representatives from the City of Marion: Adrian Swiatnik, Project Manager, Strategic Projects; Mathew Allen, Acting Manager, City Activation; and Ben Keen, General Manager, City Development. I thank the witnesses for their time.

I also want to acknowledge the staunch advocacy of the local member for Badcoe, Jayne Stinson, who was the project instigator. It is safe to say that, without the advocacy of the local member, this project would not happen. The member for Badcoe worked hard to secure the funding for the election commitment and worked closely with local clubs and the community to see this project come to fruition. It also follows the member for Badcoe's work in her community to upgrade Goodwood Oval and Weigall Oval.

Based upon the evidence considered and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public work.

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (11:56): It does bring me great joy to be rising today to speak about a facility that is so central to my community, and that is Glandore Oval. I would like to start by thanking the committee for its interrogation of this submission to the Public Works Committee. In particular, I acknowledge the work of the Chair, the member for Adelaide, who so ably leads that committee. I also recognise the efforts of others who took the time to really examine this properly, ask follow-up questions and be very thorough about the endeavour.

Glandore Oval is a simply beautiful location. There is nothing quite like having a lazy Sunday down at the oval in the sunshine and watching the Adelaide Cricket Club blitz the competition. They also have a fantastic women's league that has been running for some time now, and it gives me and my little son, Quinn, great joy to go down there and spend some time watching local sport and supporting our local teams.

During the AFL season, we also have the privilege to go and see the Westminster football club either on their training evenings or indeed playing on Saturdays. Both of these clubs are outstanding and do our community proud. Members may know that the Adelaide Cricket Club is an elite club and now boasts some of the best facilities across the Adelaide metropolitan area. As a result, we are seeing some elite players come out of that club, and that is a great source of pride for all of us in our community.

Obviously, the oval is home to those clubs, but also it is a hub for my community. It is a place where, certainly on the milder evenings, or even sometimes on the chillier ones, our community is out there lapping the oval, taking the dogs for a walk, getting to know each other and sharing the gossip of what is happening around Glandore and Black Forest. Of course, the Black Forest Primary School also uses the facility from time to time, which is a great opportunity for our kids to be able to run around and to learn some new sporting skills.

The centre also has some multisport courts that have been there for some time, a lovely playground and also a memorial, which is somewhat smaller than it used to be. It is a rose garden memorial paying tribute to one of the war veterans from our local community. It also has some disused buildings, particularly the old Scouts buildings, and under this renovation we are going to see some of those older disused buildings make way for greater green space and better and more contemporary facilities.

As I mentioned, this is a lovely, classic oval. For some time I have been concerned to make sure that the pressure on local sporting clubs is dealt with by ensuring that this oval is redeveloped. Certainly, really from the time that I became a member of parliament in 2018, I have been looking at what could be done at this facility. As the member for Adelaide mentioned, I have previously been an instigator of and very involved with Goodwood Oval and making sure that their facilities were upgraded but also instrumental in getting the initial funding for Weigall Oval at Plympton.

Debate adjourned.