An increase in construction costs is to blame for the $1 million blowout to build the new Gungahlin Tennis Centre, but it may not be the last one, according to the government.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ACT government will allocate $9.43 million in its next budget - a $1 million increase on the $8.4 million originally pledged to the Amaroo project - to build 10 full-sized courts, hot shots courts, a hitting wall, LED flood lighting, parking and a pavilion.
Pending development application approval, construction on the new centre is earmarked for next year, before it's opened in 2024.
ACT Minister for Sport and Recreation Yvette Berry said a rise in construction costs was to blame for the project's $1 million blowout.
"That's as a direct result of COVID. So we've put some more funding into this project so that we can get to this point," she said.
"That doesn't mean it's the end of this project, future budgets and conversations with tenants might mean that there'll be further expansions.
"We're keen to work with Tennis Australia and the Nick Kyrgios Foundation as well, who are really keen on this project."
MORE IN CANBERRA SPORT:
Tennis in the ACT is continuing to grow, like most sports in the territory, and reached a participation record of more than 32,000 players last financial year.
In Gungahlin, there are nearly 20,000 kids playing tennis, with the sport delivered in eight out of 11 primary schools, and three out of four secondary schools.
ACT Tennis chief executive Kim Kachel said the recent Wimbledon success of Canberran Nick Kyrgios could only further drive participation numbers.
"We've seen a huge uptake with our online booking system with some 97,426 bookings last financial year, and that's a 21 per cent increase," he said.
"We're certainly at capacity at many of our clubs. So this is very much needed ... and represents the first community tennis club for the Gungahlin region."
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
