Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
The City of Wanneroo is considering building a multimillion-dollar sports hub near the Wanneroo Showgrounds after plans to develop the facility at Scenic Park were scrapped last year.
After assessing 52 potential locations across Wanneroo, Sinagra, Hocking, Pearsall and Gnangara, city officers have identified 11 Leach Road, alongside the Wanneroo Sports and Social Club, as the preferred location for a new indoor sporting complex.
They are recommending council endorse the location and proceed with a detailed needs and feasibility assessment.
The search for a new site follows the abandonment of a $21 million proposal to build a sporting complex on the shores of Lake Joondalup at Scenic Park last December, after council faced community backlash over environmental concerns and the loss of public open space due to the project.
Although the Scenic Park proposal had progressed to the detailed design stage, the city received an 802-signature petition calling for the facility to be relocated, while local MLA Sabine Winton also voiced opposition to the plans.
Had it been approved, construction was due to begin in June 2026.
City officers believe the Leach Road location could support an integrated sporting and community precinct, with opportunities to share access, parking and other infrastructure with the adjoining Wanneroo Sports and Social Club and connect with the Wanneroo Showgrounds.
“The sites demonstrate strong strategic alignment with the intended role of a sports hub due to its proximity to existing sporting and community infrastructure,” they said in a report to council.
“This provides an opportunity to build upon established recreational uses and create a more integrated sporting and community precinct, rather than developing a standalone facility on existing public open space.”
The proposed sports hub is expected to feature multipurpose indoor courts catering for a range of sports, including basketball and badminton, as well as activities such as dance and martial arts, alongside supporting amenities and function space.
The city said it had held preliminary discussions with the Wanneroo Sports and Social Club, which had indicated “strong interest and support” for a proposed integrated development.
Other locations assessed included Greenfields Park and Bembridge Park in Hocking, Sheffield Park in Wanneroo and Aquamotion.
While these sites each had their advantages, city officers said they lacked the same potential to form a broader sporting precinct.
“The other site options at Greenfields Park and Sheffield Park do not offer the same direct integration with established sporting and community facilities, as both sites comprise standalone areas of public open space primarily surrounded by residential land uses,” they stated.
“Development of these sites would diminish community access to recreation space rather than add value to an existing sporting precinct.”
About $16.75m is currently allocated in the city’s long-term financial plan for the proposed sports hub, based on the previous Scenic Park project.
However, the city expects the new proposal to cost more than that amount, with a revised funding model to be considered as part of the feasibility assessment.
An allocation of $40,000 in this financial year’s budget is for an external consultant to undertake the needs and feasibility assessment.
A $5m State Government election commitment had been allocated to upgrades at the existing Wanneroo Recreation Centre, which the city said local member Sabine Winton had confirmed was not intended to fund a new sports hub.
If endorsed by council and deemed feasible, the project is expected to progress to detailed design between October 2027 and May 2028.
Construction is then scheduled to begin in September 2028, with completion targeted for September 2029, more than two years after construction was originally due to be completed under the shelved Scenic Park proposal.
Further stakeholder engagement is expected to take place before the project’s scope and design are finalised.
In a separate item at this month’s meeting, following last December’s decision to scrap the original sports hub proposal, council is also set to consider a preferred concept design to upgrade the Wanneroo Recreation Centre at Scenic Park into a contemporary community hub.
Both proposals were discussed at Tuesday night’s agenda briefing, ahead of a final council vote on November 24.
